What Lies Beneath
by BlackNo.1
Summary: Set after the events in Something Wicked This Way Comes. Character death from previous story explored. Regular disclaimer on characters owned by J.K. Rowling and not me :) Changes are in store for our trio as they come to terms with death, life and love.
1. Chapter 1

Hermione stood on the threshold of Azkaban, her eyes taking in the sight of the place. It never got easier. The snow whipped around her blowing her hair around and into her face. Yesterday she had been in Vienna with Andromeda, now she was here. Her former best friend dead. She checked her wand and went past the gates, the snow continued to swirl as she crossed the bridge. She kept her hand tightly on the railing because the icy conditions could easily send someone toppling over the edge. The newspaper, as per usual, got the story wrong. He had been found in his cell yesterday, he hadn't died yesterday. According to Vance's report Ron had been dead for three days when they found him. Hermione felt sick to her stomach. She ascended the steps, she had to clear the room and the body before he could be released to his family. She didn't want to think about that, she didn't want to imagine him in the ground.

She walked down the row of cells ignoring the whistles and cat calls from the prisoners trying to grab at her. Ron's cell was at the end, a minimum security prisoner his conditions were better than most. The guard opened the door and ushered her inside, the candles lit when she entered the room, she took a sharp intake of breath, from floor to ceiling lining the walls were pictures of her, her alone, her with Bella, her with Maia, her with Ron, with Tonks, with Harry. She saw a lavender jumper on the bed that had been hers, she had noticed it had gone missing over two years ago.

Next to the jumper on the bed lay Ron as if asleep. The only difference was the slight bluish colour around his lips and eyes. His fingertips were dark as well. There were no marks on him, nothing on his clothes and no sign of a struggle. Hermione noticed a flaky substance on his mouth, vomit most likely. She caught some in a phial and placed it in her pocket. She examined his hands and scrapped under his nails. She worked in silence, divorcing herself from emotions as she moved to his other hand and scraped again.

Andrews entered the room as Hermione was inspecting Ron's eyes.

"Whoa." He looked around the room and stared at Hermione. "Friend of yours?"

Hermione looked at him in annoyance, "You could say that." Her foot hit a little phial on the ground, the little tinkling sound it made caused her to notice it. She lifted it and put it into a bag and shoved it into her robes.

"He seems really obsessed with Bellatrix." Andrews said peering at the picture of Bella holding Maia. "Is this your daughter together? I read about that. The soul bonding."

"Andrews, shut up." Hermione said frustrated, "Go and ask the prisoners if they saw anything."

"Sorry, sorry it's just Bellatrix is my life's work. I did a thesis on her in school."

Hermione pointed at the cell door. His obsession with Bellatrix creeped her out and annoyed her. "Please, I need to work and I need quiet." She said explaining as he left the cell.

"We'll talk later." He said eagerly as he headed to question the prisoners. Tonks was off that day, she hadn't been feeling well since her leg injury. Vance had given her the week off which meant that because Tonks was off, Hermione was called in and had to work with Andrews.

"Oh Ron." Hermione said gently rolling him to check his back for any marks, nothing was apparent.

She laid him back and looked around the room. A stack of letters on the desk addressed to her but never sent. She sighed and bagged them for evidence. She looked for a suicide note, just in case but she found nothing. Books were stacked neatly on the shelf in the corner, she flicked through them, a post card fluttered to the ground. It was one she had sent when she was in school and had gone to France with her parents on holiday. He had used it as a marker for his page.

"You only had a year and a half to go Ron." She said flipping through the calendar on the wall. It felt oddly damp to the touch, she snatched her hand back and peered at it. The calendar laid flat against the wall and then disintegrated into dust. "What the-" She collected the ashes into another bag. Birch-Lock insisted on everything being bagged and tagged, his new obsession extended to crime investigation shows now.  
It took Hermione nearly the entire day to take everything down, bag it and record it. She was disturbed by the images Ron had looked at. He had cut Bella's face out of several and inserted his own wherever that was a picture of Bella with Hermione and Maia. He had scratched Bella's eyes out in several and Maias. Other times he had drawn little hearts around the baby's picture.

The pictures were muggle pictures, static and frozen in time. Very few were magical, she frowned, how did he get so many muggle pictures of them? She looked through the desk drawers, parchment, quills, old newspapers. Every single clipping, mention, snippet or otherwise was cut out perfectly and placed into scrapbooks that were stacked under his bed.

There were very old pictures, from before Hermione and Ron were even born that featured Bellatrix and the Death Eaters. He had been ordering back issues of the paper and creating a scrapbook from the first mentions of Bella's birth up until a week ago when Bella and Hermione had attended a local Quidditch match.

* * *

"Interesting hobby." Birch-Lock said when Hermione arrived back at his office with the list of evidence.

"I'd say he was obsessed sir, if I may." Andrews offered, Hermione rolled her eyes. It had been a long day.

"Alright Black, go home. Ordinarily I wouldn't have put you onto this case but, well he still helped save the wizarding world. I thought it could use your care and attention."

"It's fine Birch I doubt anyone else would have taken the care."

"You're supposed to be on holiday Black." Birch-Lock observed, "Vienna I believe?"

"Yes but, we've postponed it for now." Hermione explained. She was leaving here to go with Andromeda over to the Weasley's.

"Sorry Black." He said with a frown.

She nodded and left the office hearing Andrews asking if he could get a look at the scrapbooks when evidence was done checking them.

* * *

Hermione sat in the Weasley's sitting room, George handed her a cup of tea, she thanked him and set it aside. Andromeda was talking softly to Molly on the other end of the room.

"How are you holding up?" She asked patting the seat for George to sit down.

George shook his head as he sat, "Stupid git." He said sniffing, "Never was too bright."  
Hermione looked down at the floor.

"Two brothers dead, one in Azkaban. The war hasn't ended for us Hermione." George's voice was soft and sad.

"It doesn't make sense, he only had a little while left. He was up for parole in a month and even if it was denied he only had just over a year to go."

"I know I just saw him two weeks ago, he asked me to bring him some candy."

"Did you?"

"Of course I did, anything he wanted I sent it to him."

"Does Percy know?" Hermione asked thinking of the other brother in Azkaban.

"Percy's a git, he's the reason Ron was in there in the first place. It's his fault Ron is dead." George said bitterly. His statement surprised Hermione seeing as how Bellatrix was usually blamed for the fate of the Weasley brothers.

"Where's Ginny?" Hermione asked finally taking a sip of tea.

"On her way back from America. She couldn't get a portkey back today, had to wait until tomorrow."  
Hermione nodded grateful somehow that Ginny was not present. She couldn't deal with the accussations and harsh words.

"Hermione." Andromeda said crossing the room to stand in front of her. "Are you nearly ready my Love?."

Hermione nodded and stood leaving the cup of tea on the side table.

"Thank you for the tea George." George nodded sitting back in the chair. Andromeda walked with Hermione to the door, Mrs. Weasley came to open it for them.

"Take care of yourself dear." Molly said to Andromeda, Hermione turned slightly to address her but she did not meet Hermione's eyes.

"Goodbye Mrs. Weasley." Hermione said turning back towards Andromeda.

"Hermione." Mrs. Weasley called when Andy and Hermione had reached the garden gate. Hermione walked back to the door where Mrs. Weasley stood.

"Yes?"

"I know it's not your fault. I know-I know Bellatrix has you bewitched, you have to break it. You have to figure out how to stop the spell she has on you and Andromeda. I'm worried about you."

"Mrs. Weasley she doesn't have me under a spell. We're bonded, you can't bond with someone aganst their will."

"Break the enchantment Hermione or it'll be you next. Please."

Hermione nodded and Molly hugged her for a moment before releasing her to return to Andromeda.

The two women walked through the garden gate to a point of apparition. "What did she say?"

"She said Bella's bewitched us and that I'll be next if I don't break it."

Andy sighed and hugged Hermione close, "We're not bewitched Angel." She kissed Hermione lightly. "Come, lets go home."

* * *

Bella was waiting when they arrived, Hermione had gone straight from the hotel to work and hadn't been home yet.

"My poor Pet." She said taking Hermione into her arms. Hermione breathed Bella's scent in, "You've lost your friend." Despite how horrible the Weasleys were to Bellatrix she understood their importance in her wife's life.

"What do you need Love?" Andromeda stroked Hermione's back as she continued to cling to Bella.

"Just this." Hermione whispered, the darkness of Bella's hair and robes encased her in safety. The gentle smell of jasmine on Bella's skin instantly calmed all of Hermione's fears.

Bella leaned against the back of the couch holding Hermione as Andromeda went to get something to eat. Her eyes fell onto the pair several times as she cut up some cheese and bread. Bella was whispering against Hermione's ear, the younger woman nodding and sniffling. Her fingers wrapping slowly around one of Bella's curls as she held her.

"Do you want to eat? You must be famished." Bella said guiding Hermione to the table.

Andy gave Hermione a plate with bread and cheese, there was stew in a bowl as the three women sat.

Bella squeezed Andy's hand, "How are you Love?" She asked her sister who had shared a friendship with the Weasley family over the years.

"Just hurting for the Weasley's. I know how I would feel if something were to happen to Dora. It's their second child to have lost." Andy said spooning stew into a bowl. Tonks had messaged that she was with Harry who was beside himself.

Hermione stared at the tabletop for a moment, "It doesn't make sense." She mumbled as Bella put stew into Hermione's bowl.

"Death rarely does Pet." Bella said breaking Hermione's roll and adding butter to it.

* * *

She went back to work the following week, she and Andy would travel to Vienna after Maia's birthday at the end of January. She moved in a daze leading up to Christmas, everything around her seemed to go on at a normal pace that she couldn't keep up with.

Birch-Lock smacked a file down on her desk, "Hemlock. Heard of it?"

Hermione frowned, "Is a poisonous plant. Kills you if you ingest it, made famous by Socrates." She glanced at the file, Ron's name along the side of it. "He drank hemlock?"

"Not clear if he drank it or ate it but he ingested it. The white residue that you collected was hemlock milk, comes from the plant."

"How would he get hemlock?"

"That's what we're looking into. It's not something easy to come by and certainly not something you can get past the guards."

"So he ate the hemlock to kill himself?" Hermione said staring at the report.

"Or someone gave him the hemlock to murder him." Birch-Lock said curiously. "I mean, you guys do have enemies. You're too hard to get to because of Bellatrix and Harry, well he's Harry. That leaves Ron a sitting duck in Azkaban."

She shook her head sadly, Hermione had assumed it had been a terrible accident, some mistake or underlying health issue that had gone unchecked.

"That is why I have handed it over to Andrews and Umbridge. You're too close on this one Black."

Hermione grabbed the file, "No Birch, this is my case."

Birch-Lock shook his head, "No can do Black, this is from the higher ups. You're on leave until after the New did a great job processing the body but now you need to take a step back. We're not totally clear on what we're dealing with here."

"What the hell Birch." Hermione said angrily.

"It's not my choice Black, I just wanted to fill you in."

"When does my leave start?" Hermione said handing him the file.

"End of today. It's not optional Black, we all can see you're taking strain. You're just too close to this one Hermoine. I'm sorry. I really am. I can't even put Tonks on it, it's- it wasn't my decision." 

* * *

"Come with me for a short trip then Andy said over breakfast the following morning. "Come, we never got to see the markets, that was our whole reason to go besides the museums."

Hermione glanced at Bella who nodded, "Go Pet, get some presents for Maia. I refuse to muggle shop." She said spooning egg into Maia's mouth who bounced up and down in her chair.

"Come it will just be for a few of days, we'll be back by Friday." Andy said her smile won Hermione over.

They spent the next two days walking through the busy market stalls, little dollies that cried, little trains that moved without batteries and would stop on their own at a crossing. She even found one modeled after the Hogwarts Express. Hermione kept her fingers wrapped with Andy's. The Christmas sights and sounds did what Andromeda had hoped for pulling Hermione into a better mood. She laughed to see Hermione so excited over the gingerbread houses that had sugar ice snow falling on them. She went back to the stall several times throughout the day to spy the houses again.

"Do you want one Pet?" Andromeda asked after the third trip to the stall for Hermoine to admire the creations.

"Wouldn't Maia love it?" She said wistfully reaching out to catch the sugared snow on her gloved hand. The stall keeper smiled and offered her a piece of gingerbread. She bit into it and gave the other half to Andy. She followed Andy's bite with a kiss. Puffs of cold air escaped her mouth as she broke off the soft kiss.

"Come I want to see the fairies again." Hermione said as Andy smiled and followed her, their fingers still entwined. Hermione couldn't make up her mind between the green fairy or the blue one.

"Why not get both?" Andy asked looking over the Teddy Bears that walked and sniffed your hand before climbing up a tree to reach the toy bee hive.

"Well she has a small fairy already." Hermione said stepping away from the fairy booth to examine the animals, her hand rested on Andy's back rubbing gently. Andy glanced at her for a moment before selecting a small version of the bear toy for Teddy. The market keeper wrapped it for her and promised it would be sent to their hotel that afternoon.

They walked along in silence for a few minutes before getting some warm butterbeer to drink. "What do you think of the market?" Andy asked as they leaned on a fence to watch the ice skaters.

"I love it." Hermione said breathlessly, she hugged Andromeda close, "Thank you for bringing me here." She looked up at Andromeda and for the second time that day their lips met. Andromeda deepened the kiss slightly sending a shiver up Hermione's spine, her hand brushed across Hermione's hips inside her cloak.

"Andy." Hermione whispered in the kiss.

"Yes my Angel." She replied slightly breathless from the kiss.

"Take me back to the room?"

Andy smiled and in a flash they disappeared from the market and appeared back in their hotel room. 

* * *

Bella exhaled slowly leaving a trail of thick smoke and studied the man across the table from her. Birch-Lock stared back, the folder open showing Ron's dead body.

"So my wife is out of town and you thought you'd contact to me to what? Investigate this?"

"I'm just asking you to reach out, ask around see if something comes up."

Bella nodded dragging on her fag for a moment as she flipped the page. "I'm retired. Pardoned, no longer in favour of the greater good. In case you didn't know." She blew smoke in his direction and flicked the ash over the folder before sliding it back across the table.

"He was your wife's best friend."

"He means nothing to me." She said staring past Birch-Lock to the wanted posters on the wall of his office. "His family means nothing to me."

"But Hermione does."

"Of course she does, she's my wife and the mother of my child."

"It's just a few questions Black, it would take you all of ten minutes."

Bella nodded flicking the ash away again, she rarely smoked but it was a pleasure she indulged in every so often. "It would take me about that long. Suppose I do this, what's in it for me? Don't tell me the greater good. Also gold is of no use to me. What is my ten minutes worth to you?"

"You'd be helping solve this mystery involving your wife's friend."

Bella shrugged disinterested.

"What do you want then?" He sounded slightly exasperated.

Bella pretended to think it over, "A favour."

He looked interested, "What sort of favour."

Bell put the fag out on the tabletop due to the lack of an ashtray. "I would say fire my wife but I respect her too much."

Birch-Lock looked astonished by her words, "You would have me do that?"

"I just said I wouldn't though it's no secret I hate that she works. No, this involves Nymphadora."  
Bella explained what she wanted, he said he would do what he could but there were no promises.  
She left his office and fastened her cloak. She sent an owl to Hermione's parents asking them to keep Maia for the night and set off. 

* * *

Hermione trembled underneath Andromeda, she dipped her tongue gently into her mouth. Hermione moaned into the kiss, trying to pull Andromeda closer, "Please don't stop." She whispered and was answered by a harder kiss, Andy biting into her lip, Hermione faintly tasted blood mixed into the kiss. She strained against Andy's body until she gave in, Andromeda's name on her lips pressing into the kiss.

They laid on the floor looking at a brochure for the museum they were going to go to the next day. The fire warmed them as Andromeda stroked her hair, her hand straying every now and then down Hermione's back and between her legs. Hermione blushed and pretended to not notice. Andy loved seeing her cheeks flush as she unfolded the booklet. They looked at the map marking where they wanted to go until finally Hermione flicked it away and moved into Andromeda's arms. Her mouth closed gently on her neck, Andy sighed happily pulling her lover in closer.

"I think Molly had it wrong." Andromeda said with a sly smile. Hermione sat up slightly to look at her confused.  
"It isn't Bella who has us bewitched it's you." 

* * *

The rain poured as Bella pulled her cloak tighter and waited at the gate for entrance. A shimmer across the bars told her it was granted as she passed through unharmed.

"Bellatrix." A voice called in greeting from the open doorway. "How good of you to come."

Bella nodded a greeting and entered the house, the place had a feeling of neglect when you walked in. There was a slight decayed feeling about the place, dirt and debris sat in the corners. She followed the man through the corridor and into the sitting room.

"How are you my dear child? Are you keeping well?" The gentleman asked ringing for tea. A decrepit old house elf appeared bearing a tray with tea and cakes.

"I am well, and you?" Her eyes took in the face that was a picture of her dead husband, her ex father in law stared back.

"I am keeping, lots to do of course. Is Rodolphus treating you well?"

Bella paused for a heartbeat and then nodded, "He is, he wanted to come but the dark lord keeps him busy."

They spoke for a few moments as though no time had gone by and then his eyes shifted slightly and he stared at her as if she'd just sat down.

"A mudblood Bella? Was my son so awful to you that you disgrace him and refuse his name." He wagged a finger at her as though she were a naughty child.

She knew his wand had been taken from him the previous year when he tried to curse several healers but his wandless magic was still something to be weary of.

"She is a muggle-born yes." Bella corrected him gently as if agreeing with what he said. "And it was easier to go to Black after-"she paused as they stared at each other. "Don't." She said looking at his hand, "Don't do that." the spell faded from his hand.

"My sons are dead." He said looking around the room. "No heirs to carry on our name."

Bella held her breath, he had always blamed her for Carina's death. He said nothing about the lost child and Bella released the breath. His words from years ago echoed in her mind, the blame, the horrible things he said when she failed to get pregnant again.

"I've come to ask you something." Bella ventured.

"You didn't rest enough Bella." He said and Bella sighed, she would not be lucky enough to not hear about it. "Women don't lose children in my family Rodolphus." He looked to the space next to her as though Rodolphus sat there next to her. "Weakness in the genes, mark my words, inferior genes led to that child's death. I am sorry my dear but you're not good enough to carry his heirs. Perhaps I should trade you for the other one. I think your parents tricked me, gave me the wanton one and kept the best one for a better match. Perhaps I should demand her for your brother Rodolphus at least then I would get a viable heir."

Bella braced herself for the worst insults but they did not come. She frowned but her father in law said nothing, he simply stared at the open space. Bella glanced at the space in spite of herself, there was only emptyness. She strangely felt a pang of sadness, Rodolphus had always defended her to his father. It was very strange being in the house now without him.

"A mudblood Bella." He spoke again in the present, "Your parents would blast of you off that tree like your no good blood traitor sister. Rotten the entire lot of you. Narcissa was the only good thing to come out of your family. I told Rodolphus you were filth, you and your sister."

Bella stood and left the room, he followed her to the door, as they left the room he went back into the past. "Leaving so soon my dear. Do give my best to your parents, I am sure it all busy at your house preparing for the wedding. Let me know if you require anything, anything at all."

"I will. Thank you." Bella said gently and exited the house. She leaned against the closed door gasping, grateful to be away from the old man. She had enough to know he wasn't guilty of Ron's death. Her head spun as she got sick in the potted plants. She stood for a moment spiting into the plants before venturing back out into the rain to leave the grounds. She glanced back at the house, she would burn it to the ground when the old man died. She smiled slightly, she'd dance on the ashes.

* * *

She held Maia's tiny body against her as she slept. Her fingers traced each delicate line of the baby's face. "Mummy loves you." She whispered pressing a kiss to the tiny nose. Her hands examined Maia's tiny little finger nails and fingers. She stirred slightly and then cuddled back into Bella's arms. "So much like your mama." She pressed another kiss to her nose. Bella fell asleep, her face nestled into the soft sweet curls on Maia's head. Hermione found them like that the next morning. Little story books and toys strewn around the bed, one of Hermione's cloaks thrown over them as they slept.


	2. Chapter 2

They had cleared a section of ground in the garden and freed it of snow. The air was crisp, puffs of air rose from their mouths as shouts could be heard from the garden. It happened the same way each day.

"Get up." Bella said standing over Hermione who lay panting on the ground glaring up at her. They had been at it for an hour, every inch of

Hermione's body ached as Bella threw her down again. "What the hell did they teach you at school?" Bella wasn't even breaking a sweat. "I thought you were head girl." Bella said upending her again as she tried to stand. She circled around Hermoine, "If you insist on this infernal job you have to know how to protect yourself."

"Let me up." Hermione said staying down not attempting to stand.

"No." Bella said lazily flicking her wand and knocking Hermione in the stomach winding her. "Block me and you can get up. Do you think someone will stop because you ask them nicely?"

"Bella." Andromeda said watching from the low wall she was perched on. The distraction did not work as Hermione got to her knees when

Bella turned her head to look at Andy but she flicked her wand again sending Hermione back to the ground.

"Don't help Andy." Bella said turning back to Hermoine, "Or I'll knock you off that wall."

Andy laughed, "Give it a try."

Bella raised her eyebrow and threw a sideways spell that Andy doged easily before sending one whizzing by Bella's shoulder.  
Bella laughed and launched another spell towards Andy while Hermione got to her feet. Andy produced a shield to block the spell that bounced harmlessly off.

"You see Pet, shields are your best friend in a duel, even if it just deflects until you can get out of the way. Now, all shields are breakable with enough pressure."

Hermione leaned against the wall where Andromeda had perched to watch.

Andy kept her shield up watching Bella move, Bella circled her slowly before pressing a succession of spells causing Andy's shield to flicker out.  
She turned and was gone reappearing behind Bella and slamming into her with a flame whip spell that burnt her arm.

"Bad form Andy." Bella said with a scowl to Andromeda's smirk as she healed the burn.

"Come Angel you've rested long enough." Andromeda said while Bella went to sit and watch.

"Wait, I'm dueling you now?"

"Mmhmm." Andy said waiting for Hermione to come off the wall.

Hermione looked at Bella who looked back at her expectantly. "Go on Pet, trust me you won't hurt her."

Andy laughed, the moment Hermione went to the mark she hit her with the same whip spell catching her on the leg.

"Block her Pet. Come on, she isn't even trying." Bella teased. Hermione hissed in pain and tried to produce a shield. It held against one spell before shattering into light.

"I don't think those are spells we learned in school." Hermione said trying to produce a shield again.

Andromeda shook her head. "Watch Love." She said holding her wand lightly in her hand right hand while her other hand produced a shield in front of her. "You have to push the shield out of your fingers, see it in front of you and then cast your curses in the other. All a wand does is channel the magic it doesn't produce the magic itself. Spells are more powerful with a wand because of the channel but just because you're disarmed doesn't mean you are defenseless"

Hermione frowned, Andy tossed her wand to Bella and held out both her hands. "Wandless magic yes?" She floated a spell on her finger tips, the silver of her shield moved around her. Her other hand came up, lavendar floated in her palm. "Wizards and witches neglect wandless magic so it is to your advantage to master it. Now Bella, " She nodded at Bella, "Can kill someone with a wandless spell." Bella nodded in agreement. "I can't. Depends on your level with it. I can hurt you, rather badly but not a killing curse."

Hermione eyed the spell floating on Andromeda's fingertips. "I learned wandless magic and silent spells."

Andromeda nodded, "Good girl, now use what you learned when you duel."

"I don't do well in practices." Hermione said in slight defense of herself.

"Enough talking are you ready?"

Hermione nodded, the spell left Andy's palm and Hermione blocked it with her wand.

"You're wasting too much energy on your shield, look at how tightly you're holding your wand. Use your other hand for the shield." Andromeda said catching Hermione off guard and hitting her with a tickling jinx. Bella laughed herself silly while Hermione lay on the ground laughing from the jinx.

"Throw it off." Bella said between gasps of laughter. Hermione managed to cancel out the jinx but her sides hurt too much to get up.

"Alright Pet, that's enough for today. We'll try again tomorrow." She tossed Andy her wand back.

Hermione was grateful for the reprieve.

* * *

"Take your robes off." Bella said when they got upstairs, Hermione stepped back from her and frowned. "Come let me see the damage."

Hermione sighed and pulled the robe off, bruises and cuts littered her body. A rather nasty bump had formed on her rib and the burn was still on her leg from Andromeda's flame spell. Most marks were on her left side, her arm ached as Bell crossed the distance, her wand out. Hermione took another step away, "I'm not dueling you Pet, I'm healing you." Her voice was gentle as she kissed Hermione. "I'm just trying to keep you safe." She ran her wand slowly over each little mark leaving the worst ones for last.

"Bloody hell Bella." Andy said passing the room to go change.

"I wasn't the one who burned her." Bella responded healing the lump on her ribs.

"That's a broken rib Bella." She shook her head and approached Hermione to heal the burn on her leg. "Sorry Angel." Hermione's leg glowed for a moment before the burn disappeared.

"She broke her own rib when she fell." She swept Hermione's hair back from her face to check her neck and shoulders. "You're getting better by the way."

"She favours her right side hmmm?" Andy said observing, "Or did you heal those already?"

"No she does favour that side."

Andy nodded, "Produce your shield with your left hand then, you want your curses through your favoured hand, shield with the other just like a gladiator would do."

Hermione nodded, she was disappointed in herself. She had put herself through this everyday for the last week. She didn't see any improvement but she kept it up.

"Have a rest Pet." Bella said handing her back her robes. Hermione winced still sore as she pulled them back on. She was very quiet as she walked over to sit in a chair by the fireplace. Bella and Andy left her in silence.

"Bella you're too hard on her." Andy chided.

"No I'm not, if she gets out there and I can't- I can't get to her in time Andromeda." Bella shook her head, she stomach ached at the thought. "I'm not hard enough."

"She's not an Auror."

"Neither are you."

Andy sighed and went to her bedroom to change, she had dinner with Dora that evening, just the two of them. Harry was keeping Teddy at home and Andy was curious as to what Dora was up to.

* * *

Maia's first birthday was in a week, Bella tied the final bow on the last present when Hermione came downstairs. She has been reading all afternoon.

"What do you think?" Bella asked setting the present down on the small stack on a side table.

Hermione came over to survey the presents and smiled, "She's going to be a year old." She shook her head and Bella patted the little gifts.

"Do you think there are enough presents?"

"Oh I think so. She won't remember it. Hermione said a tint of sadness in her voice. "It went by so fast."

Bella fiddled with the gifts trying to stack them differently. She had rearranged them at least three times since she had started wrapping them.

"And we're still doing something separate with your parents for her birthday?"

"Can you imagine my father here?"

Bella sniffed, Mr. Granger was not Bella's favourite person and the feeling was mutual. "Did you at least explain the bruises?" He had thought Hermione an abused wife when he saw the bruises on her arms last summer at the pool. While Hermione and Bella had thought nothing of it, Mr. Granger was enraged at the bruises left from their bedroom.

"Sort of." she relied wincing, "I don't think he believed me."

Bella shrugged and slipped her arms around Hermione's waist. "You know I am just trying to keep you safe Pet." Worry was underlying her voice.

"I know. Watch this." She said slipping out of Bella's embrace. She concentrated for a moment and she managed to produce a light aura around her left hand before it faded again. "I understand the basic principal of it so now it's just practice."

Bella's eyes lit up and she nodded, "Well done Pet."

* * *

"Any word?" Birch-Lock asked, he had sent Hermione off with Tonks on a routine followup so he could chat with Bella without interruption.

"It's not Lestrange." Bella said picking at a mark on the tabletop. "You really should have an ashtray in here." She said producing a fag from her robes and lighting it.

"You know smoking is bad for you right?" Birch-Lock said waving the smoke away from him.

"In your world maybe." Bella inhaled and held the smoke for a moment before letting it go again. "What have you got on this or am I working solo?"

"Usual feelers are out there, nothing in any way solid."

"It's an inside job for sure, Fudge?"

"Naw he's clean at least from questioning."

Bella nodded blowing smoke at the ceiling. "You know he might have done it himself right?"

"I know that, in fact i suspect it, but I need to know who got to him with it."

"All the visitors check out as clean from the previous week?" Bella asked flicking her ash on the tabeltop.  
Birch-Lock looked annoyed at her lack of an ashtray. She refused to produce one preferring to make a point of leaving his table a wreck. He flicked his wand and sent an ashtray skidding over the table at her.

"Such a gentleman Birch thank you. Go back further on the visitors list. Hemlock is deadly even when it isn't fresh. Plus if he had the hemlock milk just stored in the phial it would last for ages before he drank it."

Birch-Lock looked thoughtful for a few minutes flipping through the file of the visitors log. "I'll look through the visitors from when he started his sentence and let you know if there is anyone to check out."

"Right I have to go pick Maia up." Bella said putting out the fag and blowing out the last bit of smoke. "Andy took her to a mummy and me play group and it ends in five minutes. I'm supposed to be getting potion ingredients."

Birch-Lock nodded, "I'll see you this weekend at the party."

Bella nodded, Birch-Lock was one of Maia's godfathers, Harry being the other one.

* * *

The party had been a roaring success, Maia was sufficiently spoiled and Birch-Lock paraded her around like a princess the entire afternoon. She was a beautifully happy baby who was easy to love. Her stack of presents from her parents grew exponentially when all the guests had arrived. The marquee had been set up in by the hot springs, it was a pool party in the middle of winter. The tent was bewitched to have a beach feel and the heaters produced the feeling of summer.

They peered into Maia's crib, smiles on their faces. "She's so beautiful. Bella whispered pulling the blanket up slightly to cover Maia's hand.  
"She looks like you." Hermione whispered, Maia's breathing filled the silence. The sweet little sounds of her movements made her heart ache with love.

"I think she looks like you when she sleeps." Bella argued back with a smile, her reached over to stroke Hermione's hair.

"I love you." Bella whispered pulling Hermione over to her pressing her into a gentle kiss.

"I love you too." They kissed again as they left the nursery.

"Thank you for our baby." She said against Bella's mouth. She felt Bella's smile in the kiss. "Thank you." She whispered back.

* * *

"What if I miss you?" Hermione asked against Bella's neck early the next morning, Bella's fingers floated over her back stroking her in a slow circle. She knew the answer but she loved to hear it anyway.

"Then you come home at night and we'll make love."

"What if I want you there?" She asked breathing in Bella's scent of jasmine, her fingers stroked over the dark mark on Bella's arm. She had it memorized as she moved along the slightly raised skin.

"Then I'll come to you there."

* * *

The town seemed slightly empty without the fanfare of the Christmas Markets. Andy and Hermione moved slowly through the museum, the painting Hermione had wanted to see the most hung in a place of honour at the end of the corridor. She was silent as she stared up at it, the gold shone in the reflection of the museum lighting. Each delicate detail seemed to amplify in the silence of the room. She could feel Andy's presence next to her but neither woman said anything looking up at the portrait.

* * *

Andrews sat looking at Bella as she waited in Birch-Locks outer office. She remembered him from the forest the day she had used her unregistered spell on Hansen's farm. Hermione had complained about him several times and how eager he was in asking questions about Bella. He was looking at her goddess tattoo that moved up her arm from the dark mark.

* * *

"Does it go all the way up?" He asked after a moment, following it with his eyes as it disappeared under her robes. Some days the tattoo showed more than others. It was her luck that the tattoo was nice and bright gold that day. "I've seen it on Hermione's arm. It's a bonding tattoo isn't it?"

Bella shifted slightly in the chair not answering him. "I've read about them. Unique to the couple for life. Is it true that whoever is tied to your bond also has the tattoo? Does Maia have it as well?"

Bella's eyes flashed, who the hell was this person saying her child's name as though he knew her or them. He backed off slightly from the look on her face. "I don't mean to offend you, I, well I've made it my life's work to study you."

"That's a waste of a life then." Bella said as Birch-Lock opened his door to admit her. To her disappointment Andrews followed her in.

* * *

Andy blew onto Hermione's fingers, she had lost her gloves somewhere in the course of the day. She rubbed them vigorously and pressed them to her lips. They were out in the muggle Vienna which left them helpless in the way of magic. "We'll buy some at the next stop." Andy said pressing a kiss to her fingers. Hermione nodded stepping into Andromeda to keep her hands between them. She held onto Andy while Andy held onto the pole of the streetcar.

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked for the third time, Andy smiled and ignored the question shaking her head.

"You do know the meaning of the word surprise right?"

Hermione laughed. All she knew was it was a magical place but you had to have muggle transport to get there. She spotted several witches and wizards on the streetcar with them looking around uncertain at the muggles mixed in. She and Andy easily passed for muggles in their regular clothes and jackets, some of the older witches and wizards looked rather homeless in their mixture of clothing accessories.

"Here we are." Andy said pulling the cord to stop the streetcar. Hermione looked at the empty field next to a bombed out remenant from World War II. The people she had pegged also stood to exit the car. The muggles assumed they were a group of tourists wanting to see the ruins of the factory.

Hermione watched as the group before them looked around and disappeared into the back wall of the ruin. She smiled, it was like the platform at Kings Cross.

* * *

"So as you can see Andrews has reviewed all the visitors for the last year and a half to Weasley's cell. Nobody out of the ordinary, all the people were cleared with the Auror's office prior to all visits."

Bella scowled, Andrews was working the case, she drummed her fingers on the tabletop.

"What's your interest in the case? Is it because he was your wife's best friend?" Andrews said as Birch-Lock was called out of the meeting for a moment.

"Something like that." Bella answered taking out a fag.

"Oh, no I have asthma." Andrews said pointing at the no smoking sign. Bella nodded and lit the fag blowing smoke at the sign. Andrews mumbled something Bella ignored as Birch-Lock walked in.

"I like the new sign." She said pointing her fag in the direction of it. "I assume it's just for me?"

Birch-Lock pushed the ashtray towards her, "I liked you better when you ate the ginger candies."

"Oh I have some but Andrews has asthma so I thought I'd help him leave this world a little faster by smoking in his general direction."

Birch-Lock had to bite his cheek to keep from laughing, Andrews looked shocked to Bella's deadpan explanation of why she was smoking.

"We're done here Andrews. What I have for Ms. Black is of a personal nature."

Andrews hesitated, "Out Andrews, we're planning a party that doesn't need your input."

He left the office still looking a bit shocked by Bella's disregard for his asthma.

"A party?" Bella asked shaking her head, "Didn't you get enough last weekend?"

He retrieved another file from his desk and set it down. Bella frowned at it, "What's this?" She opened it, there were none of the usual pictures and intel, there was simply a name and address.

"Different case."

Bella glanced at it and then back at Birch-Lock. "No."

"Black."

"No, I don't mind looking into Weasels case for you but no, I don't do these anymore. I'm retired remember?"

"I would owe you a huge favour."

"There is no favour in the world that I want that badly."

"Hermione to never go into the field again?"

Bella hesitated in pushing the file over the table back at him, "I'm listening."

"You respect her too much to request that we relieve her of duty however, she is due a promotion. I could see my way into that being an office promotion that keeps her out of the field."

Bella leaned back in the chair studying Birch-Lock. "Why not do that anyway?"

"Because it's a step higher than her next promotion. However in light of her service I could recommend she goes into that promotion."

"Why not do it anyway?" Bella repeated the question.

"Because it's technically unethical but if you could do this assignment, not for the greater good." He added quickly. "Then the higher ups would be more inclined to skip that step in the promotion ladder"


	3. Chapter 3

Bella sat staring into the fire, the slip of paper in her hand, she was twisting it around in her fingers. What was one more death? One more killing curse to her name if it meant keeping Hermione safe forever? She sipped her wine, she had tried to reach Hermione but they were out. The house was unnaturally quiet tonight it disturbed her. She read the silp of paper again, she didn't know this person, had never heard of him. What if he was a father? A husband? Bella threw the parchment into the flames. She ran her hand through her hair rocking slightly back. It would keep Hermione safe. She looked up at the pictures up on the mantle, her eyes flicked to her tattoos that decorated her arm. It was just one person, it could be another Tom Riddle in the making. She stood and rested her palms on the mantle staring at the photograph of Maia as a newborn, Bella and Hermione looking down at her as she moved around in Bella's arms. she walked up the stairs to Maia's room and gazed down at the baby.

"Mummy's sorry Maia. I have to keep you and mama safe." She pressed a kiss into Maia's curls. "I'll be back soon." 

* * *

They stood at the feet of the goddess, Hermione gazed up at her, tokens of flowers and other items decorated the base of the statue. Her three faces reflected, the crescent moon on the forehead of each one. A carved design crept up her arm and across her stomach, an infant and a woman at her breasts. Hermione walked around her looking at each angle, the base of her tattoo was identical, all goddess tattoos were identical on the base; this was something Hermione did not know.

"Can I touch her?" Hermione whispered.

"Touch your forehead first, then your lips, then you touch her." Andy answered back as Hermione did the motions.

"It's the only statue this detailed that remains of the goddess." She explained as Hermione touched the statue on the hand. "Most were made of wood and lost to the elements or they are small ones. The muggles destroyed most of the other ones. This one was rescued by Prunella the Faithful in the 12th century."

Hermione gazed at the face of the mother, "She's beautiful."

Andromeda nodded, "I thought you'd like to see her."

Hermione nodded as she pulled Andromeda's arms around her so she could lean into her. Andy hugged her close and pressed a kiss to her ear.

"Do people become bonded here?" She asked enjoying the feel of Andy's arms around her.

"Sometimes, not usually though because people like to have their Beltane at the same time."

Hermione stayed gazing at the mother's face, the kindness seemed to radiate from the stone carving. She glanced down and saw that along Andy's arm there was a faint silver glow of goddess tattoo that she had never noticed before.

"Were you bonded to Ted?" Hermione asked softly and she felt Andy's breath catch when she touched the tattoo. "Is that why yours is silver?"

"No Angel." She answered finally slipping her arms away from Hermione to approached the statue herself. She repeated the motions that Hermione had done and touched the goddess' feet.

Hermione did not ask again, unlike Bella, Andy was very often a closed book that seemed to never open for anyone except Bella.

* * *

Bella watched him from the corner of the pub, her face hidden in shadow, her hair pulled up and away rather than her usually wild free flowing hair, her traveling cloak was wrapped tightly around herself as she sipped the fire whiskey. She had of course changed her appearance, while Tonks was a full metamorph who could completely transition her entire body at will, even into animals, Bella could only change some things about her appearance at will that made her unrecognizable. A talent that her parents never registered about any of their daughters. She glanced at her arm, the dark mark was still visible if she moved her sleeve and the goddess tattoo. Her neck tattoo had disappeared in the transition.

So far she was unimpressed with her mark that spoke loudly and shouted across the pub. He had not noticed her which made it easier to follow him later. She would hit him in an alley and make it look like a mugging. They were close enough to a muggle area where it would be plausible. She had questioned Birch-Lock extensively when she agreed to the task in case it ever came to holding herself accountable. The memory of the conversation locked safely away where it could never be altered. She had made it clear this was her only mark, ever and he would pay dearly if he ever approached her for another one.

She followed him out of the pub moments later watching him as he staggered towards his destination. He never saw it coming as he walked down an empty side street, Bella's spell was soundless as it drifted through the air towards him slashing his neck. The dirty snow in the side street melting and turning into a crimson mess as he bled out. She stepped back from the blood as it seeped towards her. She called his money bag from his coat pocket it wouldn't do to have a robbery and leave the gold. She hide the bag within the folds of her cloak. "I'm sorry." She said gently. "I had to." She waited until the puffs of breath ceased, no longer leaving the little clouds of heat in the snow.

* * *

The owl waited for Andy when they arrived at their room that evening. "Thank you, wait for a reply." Andy said taking the scroll and reading it over slowly with a frown. Hermione headed to go have a bath and thaw out from the cold of their snow adventure after the goddess visit.

"Hermione, I need to go out for a bit I'll be back in a few hours alright?" Andy said through the bathroom door.

"Is everything alright?"

"Oh yes, everything is fine I just need to step out."

"Shall I wait to have dinner for you then?" Hermione asked pulling the bathroom door open.

"No, don't wait for me. I'll be back soon Angel." She said giving Hermione a quick kiss before vanishing in a white light.

* * *

"Bella?" Andy asked looking around the empty room before seeing her at the kitchen table. Her wand glowing slightly with the money bag sitting beside it. Andy knew that glow, she swallowed hard, Bella's hair was light like Cissy's, "Bella what happened?"  
Bella's head was resting on her arms against the table staring at the wand, "I had to Andy." Her voice tired and defeated as she took a steadying breath and sat up, her eyes looked dark and dead. "It was the only way." Her face different, Andy wouldn't recognise her on the street if they were walking along.

"What was the only way?" Andy asked apprehensively, she knew this look, the energy that came with it could devastate and destroy. She knew to keep Bella talking and away from the wand that still held the soul's glow of whomever Bella had just stolen life from.

"He said it was to keep Hermione safe, that he would keep her safe if I did this. It was the only way Andy. My hand hurts." She said holding her hand out for Andy to examine.

"Come back to yourself I don't want to see you not yourself." Andy said disturbed by the features on Bella's face.

"I'm tired Andy."

Andy crossed her arms and didn't move until Bella shut her eyes and the light hair turned black and long once again. Her mouth and nose returned to normal and her tattoo returned to her neck.

"Let me see." Andy said now approaching the table to examine her fingers and press them to her lips. "All better see?" She said pressing them again to her lips.

"Have you stored them yet?" Andy asked taking out her wand, Bella's had finally faded back to the dark wood. Bella nodded and sat up straight, her eyes had shifted back to their warm brown that Andy loved and got lost in. "Obliviate." She whispered pulling the whispers of the memories away from Bella and into her wand, she was careful to leave a little of the guilt there to keep Bella from ever agreeing again.  
Bella's eyes came back into focus and she glanced up and smiled, "Thank you."

"Is it all gone?" Andy asked pocketing her wand again and pressing Bella's fingers to her lips.

Bella searched her thoughts and nodded, "I don't see it anywhere, what did you take away?"

"A bad thought." Andy said with a smile, "But its all gone now. Come."

"Where are we going?"

"To Vienna, leave Tinkie with the baby." 

* * *

Hermione was sound asleep when they arrived, Bella gazed down at her and smiled. "Maia looks so much like her when they sleep." Andy nodded in agreement.

Bella crawled onto the bed, Hermione stirred slightly and slowly opened her eyes to see Bella. "Hi Pet." She whispered.

Hermione smiled and moved into Bella's arms. "I missed you." She said sleepily as Andy sat behind her on the bed.

"I missed you too but I'm here now." Bella said holding Hermione tighter.

"I saw the goddess today." Hermione said pulling Bella's curls to drape over her face.

"Was she beautiful?" Bella asked shifting slightly to kiss Hermione's neck. She nodded against Bella's curls.

"Where's Andy?" It was a mumble as sleep was beginning to wash over her again.

"I'm here Angel." Andy said from behind her.

Hermione reached her hand back to pull Andy over to her. Andy smiled slightly and sank into the bed to spoon into Hermione. She sighed happily and guided Andy's hand around her waist. "Stay." Hermione said as Andy held her tighter, their eyes met over the top of Hermione's head as she fell back into sleep. 


	4. Chapter 4

Hermione stirred in the middle of the night and rolled over, her mouth finding Bella's neck where she pressed little kisses. She woke to the gentle pressure and smiled, she moved her hand into Hermione's hair pulling her up to her mouth. Her other hand pressed between Hermione's legs eliciting a soft moan.

Andy heard them and opened her eyes watching for a moment, their heavy breathes filled the room.

"Come play Love." Bella whispered to her, her hand reaching over to pull Andy into the passionate kisses.

Their moans and whispered filled the room, bodies moved over one another until they seemed to fuse into one. Hermione's body was on fire, she couldn't tell where Bella ended and Andromeda began, her mind lost in a swirl of her lovers moving over her as she moved over them. In the end both of their names were on her lips as she fell over the edge into blissful oblivion, begging for more and the movements began once again.

* * *

The full report came the next morning by owl. The investigation into Ron's death was inconclusive and it was of the opinion of the investigaton committee that Ron had killed himself and was provided the substance through an oversite during a routine medical examine. No foul play was suspected. Hermione flicked through the report several times, "This is bull shit." She said tossing it down and picking it back up to flip through it again. "They're bloody idiots. I told Birch not to take me off this case. They don't care, they just wanted to close the case." She threw it down again and rubbed her face with her hands for a moment. "No reply." She said to the Ministry owl who flew off immediately. "No blood records to tarnish the Aurors good name." She was disgusted. Andromeda lay on the bed watching her fret and mumbled, a sad look on her face at the mention of of the Weasley boy.

Hermione stood and tossed floo powder into the fireplace. "Nymphadora Tonks."

Andy's eyebrow raised in surprise as Bella exited the bathroom, patting her wet hair dry.

"Report on Ron came through." Andy said to her confused face.

"Shame Pet." Bella said sitting on the bed and handing Andromeda a comb and sitting in front of her. Andy sat up and began seperating each curl out slowly, Bella's eyes closed in pleasure of the methodical feel of Andy fixing her hair.

Tonks' sleepy face appeared in the grate. "Wotcher Hermione." She said with a yawn. "Got the report?"

"What the hell is that rubbish Tonks? It's not a report it's a joke."

Tonks was still half asleep, her eyes slightly puffy, her hair sticking out curly at all angles looking nearly identical to Bella. It always shocked Hermione to see her in her natural state.

"MMm" Tonks said stretching and yawning again. "Where are you?"

"Vienna."

"Ooo nice, did you go to the goddess yet?" Tonks said waking up more and quickly adjusting her features to short pink hair and a different nose and mouth looking more like the herself Hermione knew.

"Tonks focus." Hermione said used to Tonks' early morning distractability.

"Sorry, Erin and Andrews came in yesterday and said the conclusion was medical mistake. They met with Birch and Vance who agreed. The case is closed, they are looking at the healers who visit from St. Mungos but they are chalking it up to negligence nothing more. Erin even indicated that Ron stole the hemlock from a healer's bag. Which I said no way to but of course I can't pass a comment officially on being that I am close to the victim."

Hermione shook her head, "It's bullshit."

Tonks looked past Hermione into the room and saw her mother and Bella on the bed. She frowned slightly and looked back at Hermione.

Silence filled the room to the point that Bella and Andy looked at the grate and were met with Tonks' stony expression.

"It is Hermione. Enjoy the rest of your holiday." And with that Tonks left the grate with a pop.

Hermione sat back from the grate, Andromeda was still paused on Bella's hair as Hermione looked over her shoulder towards the two women.

* * *

Birch-Lock refused to talk to Hermione about the case, it was closed and there was nothing else he could do. She asked to investigate it on her own time stating that he couldn't stop her from following leads on her days off. He was irritated now and told her to drop it, that he understood her frustration but there was very little he could do. He reminded her there were other cases that needed her attention. Her promotion review was in a month, Birch-Lock was nervous that the higher ups would not honour the promise he had made to Bellatrix and Hermione would have another two years in the field.

* * *

Bella paced around the room, Andy paused in her book and sighed.

"What could be taking so long?" Bella asked, her fingers opening and closing to make a fist.

"It can take up to an hour Bella you know that. Sit down please your pacing is making me nervous."

Bella continued her pacing, "What if she is?"

"Then she is and we'll deal with it." Andy said simply.

Bella chewed her nail, "It was so hard last time though." Bella took a breath, picked up a book and set it back down. "What if something goes wrong?"

"Bella." Andy said holding out her hand beckoning Bella over, Bella came and sat next to her, their fingers playing together slowly, Bella traced the lines on Andromeda's palm. "You can't be scared every time there is a pregnancy love. It doesn't have to end like Carina." Bella nodded and went back to chewing her nail.

Tonks emerged from the bedroom with the phial, "Harry doesn't know yet." She said quietly holding out the phial to her mother. "I couldn't get his blood; will it still work?"

"It should be fine Kitten." Andromeda said pressing a kiss to Tonks' head. "Do you want me to open it?" Tonks looked from her mother to Bella. "Do you want Bella to?" Tonks nodded slowly as Andy handed Bella the phial.

They had tried after Ireland, they had but at the end of the day it just wasn't meant to be. Too many ghosts haunted the pair, they had parted as friends, Harry was still Teddy's godfather, they still met for drinks, still joked and Tonks still went to his matches. It was one of those times they had met for drinks that had led Tonks to this moment.

Bella removed the stopper and they watched the liquid turn from clear to purple, the date revealed itself in gold along the side as the liquid disappeared from its container. Tonks' eyes blurred with tears and she shook her head. "No." was her whispered word. Bella's heart broke as Tonks held the phial and wrapped herself in Bella's arms. "I can't do it alone again." Andy moved to hold both her daughter and her sister as Tonks cried. "I was so careful mummy." Bella's eyes locked into Andy's, her mind going back to that tiny little girl in the shop looking at her. The hundreds of images of watching Tonks play, leaving for school, the aching in her soul from Andy's choice. Andy looked away, her eyes blurry with tears.

"It's alright Kitten, we've got you." Bella whispered pressing a kiss. "We've got you."

* * *

Hermione was at her parent's house in London. Bella very often did not come but it never stopped Hermione from taking Maia to her grandparents. They were determined to give Maia a muggle upbringing while Hermione was perfectly happy leaving Maia in the magical world.

"So you'll let us take her then?" Her mother asked excitedly. "It's only for two weeks. I know it's a long time to be away from her but will you let us?"

Hermione squirmed a little, there was no way Bella was going to allow Maia to be taken to America for two whole weeks. On a plane, with muggles, no magic.

"I don't think Bella would go for that mum." Hermione said finally as Maia squealed and chomped on a biter biscuit.

"What in the world, why not? We're not going to let anything happen to her." Hermione's father chimed in, as much as Hermione's mother tolerated Bella, Hermione's father despised his daughter in law. He did not believe Hermione about the bruises though he had never seen them again on her skin when she visited.

"Dad you know it's not as simple as that."

"Well I think it is, we can take Maia for two weeks to Florida and see all the parks, everyone else is taking their grandchildren I don't see why we can't take ours."

Hermione opened her mouth- "Hermione I respect that you're a witch and that there is a whole other world that your mother and I cannot be a part of but Maia deserves to be part of our world. You can tell Bella-"

"Tell me what?" Bella asked appearing in the living room with a loud crack. "Sorry I'm late Pet." She said kissing Hermione quickly before picking Maia up and brushing the crumbs off her gown. She examined the box of the biter biscuits and frowned slightly at the ingredients.

She looked questioningly at Hermione. "It's fine Bella I had them when I was little." Bella nodded and pushed the box aside slightly out of Maia's grasp.

"What did you want Hermione to tell me?" she asked with a tight smile, she despised him just as much.

"We were just talking about Maia being exposed to muggle things." Hermione said quickly.

Bella nodded and looked around the room at the electronic devices that blinked on and off now that Bella was in the room. "Yes, muggle things." She said looking at the blank tv screen. "What muggle things does she lack?"

Hermione shifted and swallowed, "Well they want to take her to the Florida parks."

"Florida parks are muggle?"

"Well yes."

Bella nodded and looked at Hermione's father, "So take her to the park across the street."

He laughed and Bella's eyes narrowed slightly at him, his laughter froze instantly, "Yes well, no this is a special set of parks in Florida that children love to go to. We're going and wanted to take Maia with us. A group of us actually are going to take our grandchildren and well we thought it would be nice to take Maia."

Bella nodded listening, "You want to take Maia, to a park in Florida…I assume on one of those metal flying things that fall out of the sky all the time?"

"Plane." Hermione said quietly.

"Yes a plane. You want me to put my child on a plane that falls out of the sky to go to a park in Florida. Why exactly?"

"It's a magical place." Hermione's mother said rather excitedly pulling out a pamphlet to show Bella.

Bella looked at the colourful display of the giant mouse, duck and dog. She looked at Hermione's mum for a moment then back at the pamphlet. The next page showed the bear. "Oh Winnie the Pooh." Bella said recognizing the image. Her hand ran over the image. "But she has one of these."

"No it's so she can meet him."

"You can meet him? Why would you want to meet a bear?" If Hermione wasn't so nervous she would laugh at Bella's innocent questions that seemed to endear her to her mother and create hatred in her father.

"No I don't think Maia needs to meet a bear, this mouse is much too big, I've never seen animals this big and…bright. Pet is this like the egg that was a cannon?"

Hermione chuckled for a moment and explained they were people in costumes, Bella seemed to understand it as she flicked through the other pamphlets and Hermione explained them to her.

"And so you're going to take her here, to meet these strangers in costumes and she is going to go on rides and…' Bella looked to the pamphlet again, "Have a magical family experience."

"Yes." Hermione's mum happy that she seemed to have finally understood.

"But-" Bella flicked the pamphlet back onto the table, "she has magical experiences all the time. This isn't magic, it's a bunch of people pretending to be animals and," she peered again, "And pirates. Why does she need to experience a muggle form of magic? If you must call it that, we have real magic, so does she."

Hermione's father was getting irritated, "To bloody well have a muggle experience, she is a muggle."

Hermione closed her eyes swearing under her breath when Bella gasped and stood. "My child is not a muggle."

"She is Hermione's child." He said just as heated, "Hermione is a muggle."

"Dad." Hermione said shaking her head while pulling at Bella's sleeve to sit down.

Bella took a step forward, her eyes growing quite dark, she watched her father swallow. He despised Bella but he feared her. "She is my child and she is not a muggle. Neither is Hermione you ignorant-"

"Bella!" Hermione snapped as a crack shot through the tv screen and along the wall. Maia squealed and bounced in Bella's arms.

"Get out." Hermione's father said, the only power he had left was to order Bella away.

Bella bit back a response and finally turned to Hermione. "Coming Pet?"

She stood up and got Maia's nappy bag.

"No please." Her mother said looking angrily at her husband.

'It's fine mum, I'll come back tomorrow." Hermione said touching her mum's arm.

"Alone I hope." Her father added staring at Bella, Bella smirked at him and laughed slightly.

"Oh yes, completely alone. I have no intention of my child ever coming back here. Say bye-bye to grandpa Maia." Bella's eyes dark watching Maia waving bye-bye to her grandfather, his face pale. Before anyone could say another word they were gone with a crack.

* * *

Andromeda, Harry and Tonks were in the living room when the trio appeared with a loud crack.

"You had no right to say that Bella. None!" Hermione shouted unaware of their guests.

"Me, did you hear him, she's not a muggle Hermione. She is OUR child, not yours." Bella answered back just as loudly.

Maia squealed to add to the noise unafraid of the argument.

"I know she's ours Bella. You still didn't have a right. She will go back over there." The shouting escalated. Maia looked a little uneasy now between her parents.

"No she won't. He said alone Hermione he's going to regret it!"

"Stop it Bella it isn't always about what you want!"

"He's an ass!" Bella shouted her chest heaving as she tried to control herself. "You're not going back there.

"You can't stop us Bella. She is my child too and I say she is going back there!"

"Oh that's right make me the bad mum. I suppose if she were Andy's child you wouldn't be having this conversation because Andy would let her go!"

"What the bloody hell does Andy have to do with it?"

"She would let her!"

Maia began to cry now as both of the women stared at each other, their faces red and angry. Bella became aware of the three people on the couch before Hermione did.

"Um, Hi." Harry said holding a glass in his hands unsure of the situation they were in now.

Hermione's eyes were wide, anger still around the edges of her energy. Bella walked over and handed the crying Maia to Andy.

Bella grabbed Hermione quite roughly and they cracked out of the room. They reappeared in their Beltane bed, her hand still tightly around Hermione's arm squeezing it. "You're mine." She growled at her pushing her onto the bed, her hands pulling at Hermione's robes. Hermione grabbed at Bella's hair and yanked her to her mouth as they kissed fighting for control of one another.

* * *

Her mouth closing over Hermione's to silence the cry as she thrust her fingers roughly between her legs.  
Bella was lost in the movements, her teeth biting into Hermione's neck and chest, she was enjoying Hermione's cries now. She pushed harder, she could see tears in her eyes and smiled. She added a third finger, it hurt her, she pushed again feeling Hermione writhe beneath her.

"Bella go slower, please." Hermione said hissing unsure if she wanted to pull away or allow it to continue.

"No." Bella said twisting her hand slightly, another cry rose from Hermione lips as Bella felt her shaking.

"Bella, please." She whispered again, "I want this but please. It hurts."

Bella paused for a moment and frowned, her fingers slipped away from Hermione, a slight rust colour stained them. Bella stared at her fingers and down at Hermione, her chest heaving slightly, tears on her cheeks.

"Oh Pet." Bella said her eyes no longer blackened, "Oh my Love." she said softly, her mouth kissing gently over each mark she had left. Her palm resting between Hermione's legs. "I'm sorry."

"No don't be." Hermione said taking Bella's hand, "Just go slower." She said guiding Bella's fingers between her legs again. "Yeah?" She said kissing Bella and moving slowly against her hand. "It needs to be slower."

Bella nodded and kissed her again returning to a less frenzied love making. Their moans filled the silence of the room their guests forgotten.


	5. Chapter 5

Bella reappeared nearly an hour later, her eyes still very dark, she offered no explanation. Maia had cried herself to sleep against Andy and was still sniffling from time to time.

"You." she said, her eyes focused on Harry who squirmed under the appraisal of the witch's black eyes. "You come into my home after what you've done."

"Bella." Tonks said softly, Bella turned her focus on Tonks for a moment who went quiet. She knew that look from her own mother. The silent fury that meant trouble if there was a movement out of line.

"I wanted to explain." Harry began.

"I think we're past the point of explanation Potter." Bella hissed.

"Bella." This time it was Andy who spoke, Bella did not look away from Harry as she answered Andy.

"I'm not going to kill him Love. We're just going to go have a conversation."

Harry felt himself go cold at Bella's words.

"I've already spoken to Harry Bella."

"Ah, but I haven't."

"You don't need to." Andy said reaching to touch Bella's hand but failing to take it as Bella stepped towards Harry.

"Oh but I think I do. Come Harry." She flashed out with him before any of them could react.

* * *

Hermione came into the room quietly, "Sorry." she said not meeting Andromeda's eyes as she lifted Maia. The toddler cried out a little as she was jostled gently into her mother's arms.

"Sorry Lamb." Hermione said pressing a kiss to her head. "Come lets put you to bed." She disappeared with the baby.

Hermione gazed down at the sleeping toddler for a few moments, her fingers brushed back the black curls from her.

"She looks like you when she sleeps." Andy said quietly coming in and closing the nursery door. "She's so beautiful Angel." Andy ran her hand over Hermione's back slowly. She could feel Hermione's embarrassment coming off her in waves. "Every couple fights my Love."

Hermione nodded brushing a tear away and sniffing. "She said-I'm sorry what she said."

"Don't be, she isn't wrong. I would let her go to her grandparents if she were my child. She'll come around she's just angry right now. Did you make up?"

She shook her head, "I don't think so. Not about that."

* * *

They arrived at the burnt out shack, Tom Riddle's grave lay in their eyeline among the undergrowth. Harry recognised the place from the memory he had visited with Dumbledore. His wand was in his pocket though he didn't know if he would be successful against her in a duel. He was out of practice and she was angry.

"Come." She said walking through the debris to approach Voldemort's grave. Harry hestitated for a moment. "I won't tell you twice Potter."

Harry found the use of his legs and followed her, he was weary of her unsure of what her plan was.

"What are we doing here?"

"Just showing you something." Bella remarked looking at the sunken earth over Tom's decimated remains.

"Voldemort's grave?"

"Tom Riddle's grave." Bella corrected, "He was no lord, no master, he was nothing in the end." She brushed off the ashes from the top of his grave. "He came from nothing and returned to nothing." She turned her head to look at him, "He was one of the most powerful wizards in the world, not unlike yourself."

Harry swallowed and ventured closer to the dark eyed witch.

"Despite all his power and fame it came to this." She said nodding at the remains of the shack. "Nobody to love him or mourn him, doomed to desolation and solitude forever."

"So the lesson is to appreciate what I have and lead a good life so I don't end up like Tom Riddle?"

"No, the lesson is if you fuck Andy's child over I will destroy you, bring your body here and bury you beside your worst enemy and nobody will ever find your remains."

* * *

They arrived back at the cottage, Harry looked rather pale when they walked into the sitting room.

"All back, bright and shiny like a penny." Bella said with a wolfish grin at Tonks. "Told you I wouldn't kill him."

Tonks looked from Bella to Harry, "Are you ok?"

"Oh yeah, sure. Nice chat Bella."

She smiled at him and poured herself some tea. "Anytime Harry, we're family now." She looked around, "Where's Hermione?"

"Upstairs with the baby I think." Tonks said frowning at Harry's very pale appearance.

Bella made no move to go upstairs, she had no interest in the discussion she had already objected to. Maia would not go to her parents house it was as simple as that.

She dipped her biscuit into her tea and turned to see Andromeda come down the stairs, she paused slightly when she saw that Bella and Harry were back already. Bella bit into her biscuit as Andromeda looked for a brief second like a deer in headlights.

"You're back already. I wasn't expecting you so soon." Andy said coming all the way into the sitting room.

"Harry's a good listener. Hermione upstairs?"

"Uh, what? Yes." Andy paused and Bella frowned putting her biscuit down.

"You're a terrible liar Andy." 

* * *

Bella was sitting staring into the fire when Hermione arrived home. She stopped short when she saw Bella sitting in the empty room, her back to her.

"Where is everyone?"

"Oh I suspect they've all gone home. I suppose that happens when the Lady of the house abandons her guests." She hadn't turned, her voice was very calm as Hermione walked into the room.

"It's still early I was only gone for a couple of hours."

"Yes well, Dora was tired so they went early. They gave their regards."

"And Andy?"

Bella smirked, "Andy went home too, it's just us Pet."

"Is Maia still asleep then?" Hermione said not venturing further into the room. Their fights usually ended quickly however this one had a feeling of escalating once again.

"No. She's with Andy." Bella said leaning forward slightly to poke the log in the fireplace. "Like I said, it's just us."

"Stop it." Hermione said frustrated.

"Stop what I am bringing the fire back up unless you want it freezing in the house tonight."

"I couldn't just leave like that Bella, it wasn't fair to my mum. You had no right to say I couldn't take Maia."

"So you tried?" Bella said a smirk hidden in the shadows of the fireplace.

The spell Bella had used made it impossible for Hermione to take Maia out of the house if her intention was the Granger household. "What did you do, charm her clothes?"

Bella laughed, "What? No, that would be too easy to overcome."

"Take the charm off Bella." Hermione's voice was tense. "You're not keeping my parents from seeing her."

"It was his choice Hermione."

Hermione shivered, she hated the sound of her name on Bella's lips when she said it so coldy. "You broke his tv and damaged his house Bella."

"He called our daughter a muggle. He called you a muggle. He-" Bella swallowed her emotions betrayed her now, "He doesn't acknowledge I'm her mother."

Hermione leaned against the door frame, that was it the whole crux of the matter.

"He knows she's our daughter Bella."

"No, he doesn't. She's your daughter according to him and nothing of mine. I saw it screaming in his stupid mind." Her words slightly heated now. "We could make a hundred babies and they would always only ever be yours."

* * *

"Leave it alone Black." Birch-Lock said in frustration to Hermione's appeal to re-open Ron's case. "The case closed, the family is satisfied that it was an accidental death. Why do you want to drag all of this back into the light?"

"Because we both know it was more than that Birch."

"I don't Hermione. I don't think it is I think the stupid prat did himself in and left a mess to clean up knowing it would hurt you." 

* * *

Bella relented a week later and allowed Maia to visit the Grangers again but she flat out refused the Florida trip to Hermione's agreement. Maia was much too young to travel so far away from home, perhaps they could revisit it when Maia was older. 

* * *

She was waiting for him, a haze of smoke filled his office as he entered, she was sitting at his desk flipping through the files he had left there.

"Bella." He was surprised to see her there so early on a Monday morning.

"We had a deal Birch." Bella said not looking up from a particularly interesting file about her nephew. "I did a clean-up and you give my wife the promotion that keeps her behind a desk." She finally closed the file and looked up at him, "But my wife told me on Friday that the promotion she got was a standard one. She's excited of course but still very much in the field and in the line of fire. Can you imagine my ire having to celebrate with her knowing that you broke your word." She shook her head, "Bad form."

"I told you I couldn't promise anything that I would recommend her for the higher promotion." He said defensively.

She flicked her fag for a moment and then drew another drag from it. "You see that's where I stop listening to you because I think that when it came down to it you didn't back the promotion."

"I spoke to the Minister."

Bella nodded, "Except the Minister isn't the one who approves the promotions, it's up to you, Vance and that new guy."

"It goes to the board for review."

"Yes the board who listens to you and takes all your recommendations. In fact in the last ten years they have never denied a promotion request from you so I am finding it hard to believe that they suddenly stopped listening to you."

Birch-Lock looked uneasy as he sat, Bella's gaze never wavered from his face.

"You made a deal with the devil Birch, I'm here to collect." 

* * *

Her nails slid slowly over Bella's stomach, her lips followed the red lines left from the light scratches. Bella watched her, it was very rare she let Hermione have control in bed and even then it was really Bella who controlled it in the end. Bella sat up slightly to kiss her lover and pull her hand towards her center. Hermione smiled into the kiss and pulled her away from what Bella wanted. She groaned in protest, the torture was sweet and slow, she would make Hermione pay for it later.

"Poor Bella." Hermione said with a smirk when the kiss ended.

"Careful Pet I can still turn you over and reverse this entire thing." Her eyes shining with lust.

"I don't think so." Hermione said with a grin at the binds on Bella's hands. She had finally managed to tie Bella up.  
Hermione shifted her weight between Bella's legs eliciting a growl as Bella rocked slightly against the pressure. "Andy is going to be back soon and then what?"

Bella groaned again trying to adjust herself against Hermione's thigh. "She can join us." Bella teased gaining a small measure of relief before Hermione moved again.

"You know what I want."

"I won't do it." Bella said with a frustrated moan as Hermione kissed against her thighs now. Soft little bites made her back lift from the bed trying to capture Hermione's mouth.

Hermione ran the tip of her tongue against Bella's folds causing her to hiss in lustful agony.

"Just once Bella. Just say it once and it will end."

"Pet." Bella breathed, "Come now stop teasing me." She moaned again, her head moving to the side against her bound arm, her hips rocking again against Hermione's mouth. "Andy's- Andy's going- Please Pet-" and she was lost, the pleasure moved through her as her lover's name whispered on her lips.

She released Bella's arms that fell dead against the bed with a thud, their owner panting as her sex moved against her lovers mouth lost in the climax that built and crashed over her again.


	6. Chapter 6

Hermione felt uneasy sitting in the room that used to signify love and comfort to her. She shifted slightly when everyone was assembled across from her, she glanced at Tonks who nodded encouragingly at her. She sipped some water and clapsed her hands together, her eyes meeting the woman's who had been like a second mother to her. "I think you need to re-open Ron's case."

Mrs. Weasley frowned at her, "But they concluded that it was an accident Hermione. The wrong potions, even St. Mungo's is looking into it now."

"Mrs. Weasley- Molly." Hermione corrected herself, "Molly the healers don't carry hemlock milk in their bags on any calls. It's kept under spell and charm at the hospital, I checked, it's quite a protocol to get the milk out however it is relatively simple to extract from a hemlock."

"So people just have hemlock growing around at random?" Molly said in disbelief.

"Well no it's a highly restricted species of plant, only a few places have them here, most are imported from the continent. It's not something the average healer has access to."

Molly and Arthur looked at one another, their shared grief made Hermione's heart ache, she couldn't imagine Maia no longer in the world.

"We need to discuss this as a family, you understand dear?" Molly said, Charlie stared at the floor while Ginny sat staring openly at Hermione not saying a word.

"Take all the time you need Molly."

"If we- if we decide that we want to reopen the case, then what happens?" Charlie said, his glass of water untouched on the table.

"It would allow for myself and Tonks to step in on the case. They originally wouldn't allow it due to our relationship with Ron and yourselves. However, as it is now I am permitted to step in on any case that I feel was conducted with prejudice."

"Why are you doing this?" Ginny said, unlike the rest of the Weasley family Ginny never really spoke to Hermione again after the whole affair of her sending a hex at Bella when she was holding the baby.

"He was my friend." Hermione said softly, "A brother really and I can't believe that after everything he and I shared that he would decide on this course of action in his life."

"Some friend you were. You left him heartbroken." Ginny said venemously.

"Ginevra." Arthur said sharply.

"What happened between your brother and myself is none of your business actually." Hermione said kindly but firmly.

"Oh yeah, you cheated on him with that vile woman and then left him for her."

Hermione took a breath, "That's my wife you're talking about."

"Yeah your wife. I feel sorry for you Hermione, brilliant witch who is too stupid to know when she's under a spell. She's not your wife Hermione she's your slaver."

"Ginny stop now." Molly said warningly.

"No mum, I loved Hermoine and if she doesn't want to hear it then it's true what everyone says, it's a love potion Hermione, she drugged you."

"No it's fine Molly." Hermione said glancing at Tonks who frowned at Ginny.

"My aunt doesn't have to drug people." Tonks said defensively.

"Your aunt." Ginny laughed, "Everyone knows the Black sisters and the rumours Tonks."

Tonks' moved slightly next to Hermione.

"Ginny shut it." Charlie said standing up. "It isn't the place for you to get attention. Hermione and Dora are here to help find out what happened to Ron not listen to the rumours you and your mates spin about them over tea."

Ginny looked scandalized as she stormed from the room swearing under her breath.

"Thank you Charlie." Hermione said not looking at Ginny leave the room. "Like I said, take all the time you need and let us know what you decide, either way you need to have peace and I don't think you do right now."

They all hugged at the door, Tonks was silent as she waited for Hermione to say her goodbyes.

"I'm not under a spell." Hermione said to Molly with a sigh, "Please stop thinking that, I've told you before that-well I've explained it before." She left it at that. Molly nodded but did not reply.

Tonks and Hermione walked in silence out of the property, "Ginny's an idiot." Hermione said finally.

Tonks didn't meet her eyes, "I know the rumors, I've heard them my whole life Hermione."

They continued to walk along past the usual apparition point. "I believed them for a while, for a long time actually."

Hermione paused and Tonks stopped walking to look at her. "Look Hermione, I don't like what is going on with you guys but-" She looked away, "my mum is happy so-" She shrugged, "I've never seen her happy before. Not like this."

Hermione swallowed and shifted slightly putting her hands in her pockets. "Why did you believe the rumors?"

"Because I'm a metamorph, a freak for lack of a nicer term. Only happens when metamorphs have a kid or so the rumour goes. Both of them are metamorphs to a degree so they fuck, have me and I'm a full on freak. Makes sense right?"

Hermione nodded, "But that isn't the only way to make have a metamorph, how genes work."

"I know that Hermione, but to a kid you don't think about the magic behind everything and the science. You just believe that your aunt is actually your mother and your mother is in prison for murdering people. Not the best Hogwarts years in that regard."

"And what do you believe now?"

"I had blood tests done so it doesn't matter what people spin I know the truth."

Hermione nodded and took Tonks' hand in hers, "Come, lets leave now we can't change their minds about things like this. Just like they think I'm under a spell."

"I thought you were under one at first." Tonks said with a smile, "But you're much too clever a witch for that."

"Thank you." She said laughing as they turned disappeared with a loud crack. 

* * *

"Black!" Birch-Lock was fuming, "My office now and bring your pet Auror with you."

"Shit." Tonks said as they got up. "Guess they reopened the case."

"Good, he's just pissed I went over his head without going over his head."

They walked into his office, Birch was pacing and fuming. "Sit."

The chairs moved up pulling both women down and scooting them up to the table.

He waved his hand and the door slammed shut knocking a blind sideways that immediately corrected itself.

"What the fuck were you two thinking?"

Birch-Lock was ordinarily a calm fellow, a little extreme sometimes but usually calm.

"We were thinking of justice for the family."

"Yeah justice for the family happens in law enforcement not in investigations. I got Molly fucking Weasley burning up my floo network demanding to know why the investigation is now being deemed negligent. Negligent Black, I wonder where she got that idea from?"

"Well sir."

"You don't speak Black, you just listen."

"Your going to reopen the case, you and your pet, and don't even Dora I know your role in this- you're going to review every testimony, account, and every shred of evidence then you are going to release the same findings that Andrews and Umbridge did. I want this case closed by the end of the week and sealed." He took a breath, "Is there anything I have said that is not crystal clear to both of you that does not leave any room for interpretation of your own."

"What if we find something?" Hermione said after a moment of silence.

"You won't find anything Black I just made that clear."

"But what if we do?"

She watched his face go an impressive magenta for a moment. "Get out Black." The chairs shot back and tipped pushing both women to stand, the door flew open. When the exited the door slammed again leaving the two women facing an office of stunned Aurors and investigators.

"So-lunch?" Hermione asked to Tonks' nod. 

* * *

Hermione turned in a slow circle, her wand out, a shield up from her other hand. It wasn't the strongest shield but it would do in a pinch. Bella had taken to ambushing her now during their daily duel practices. Andromeda sat watching lazily flicking her wand distracting Hermione occasionally. "You're breathing too loudly Angel." She said hitting the shield again. "Breathe quietly you sound like an elephant moving through the brush."

There was a bang and the spell hit her shield as Bella appeared silently and then was gone again.  
Hermione growled slightly in frustration, she couldn't keep a shield, cast a spell and quietly breathe.

"Too loud." Bella said smacking into her shield again with a spell and was gone again. How the hell was she doing that so quietly.  
Hermione lowered her hands in exhaustion when the spell hit her knocking her to the ground.

"Hermione!" Andy said jumping down from the wall. Bella reached her first.

"Fuck." Bella said rolling her over. "Why did she lower her shield?" Hermione's lip was bleeding and there was a nasty gash on her forehead as Bella revived her.

"I don't know she did it so fast." Andy said wiping up the blood with the corner of her robe. Hermione opened her eyes and winced.

"Don't lower your shield ever Pet." Bella said helping her stand. "Again."

"I'm done." Hermione said after a moment not putting her shield up.

"No we've hardly gone a half hour." Bella protested.

"No I'm sick of this. I'm not getting better at it and you don't duel fair."

Andy sighed and went back to the wall to watch, she looked disappointed in Hermione's attitude.

"Of course I don't who do you know who would?"

"When you learned it was fair Bella. You just attack me over and over again."

Bella and Andy started laughing at Hermione's idea of their dueling lessons as children.

"It was fair Andy."

"I heard her." Andy said shaking her head, "Oh Pet it was anything but fair. Bella's being gentle on you. Maybe that's it Bella. We should test her, not like this where we have set times but really test her." Her eyes darkened slightly when she smiled as if Hermione was a play thing.

"I agree." Bella said putting the wand away. "Your lessons in dueling are done Pet. Now we see what you've learned yes?"

Hermione nodded slowly unsure of what her mouth had just gotten her into. Somehow she knew she was going to regret the loss of these dueling times. 

* * *

Hermione read through another report and rubbed her eyes. "Tonks does yours have a reference number up in the left corner?"

Tonks flipped through her report, "No-wait, yes, on the last page?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah." Tonks handed it over and Hermione compared the numbers. "What in the world?"

"I dunno, doesn't match the front reference number." Tonks said looking on the front of the files and then on the box. "Maybe someone miscopied?"

"I dunno." Hermione grabbed another file at random and found the same reference number. Not a mistake. "So-maybe it ties to another case?"

Tonks shook her head, "There's nothing in the comments section stating to see other case files."

Hermione recorded the number and sent the paper whizzing off to the records room on the third floor.

They waited for the reply for nearly an hour. A piece of red parchment appeared on Tonks' desk.

"What the hell?" Tonks replied reading the parchment and then handing it over to Hermione.

"Well, Birch has level seven clearance we'll just ask him."

"Yeah I don't think he's going to just go, 'oh you need files that are classified Black let me get those right on over to you.' " Tonks commented rolling her eyes.

"So we just have him sign a stack of parchments and slip the records request in." Hermione said with a sneaky smile. "He might not notice he's so pissed he might just sign it to get us away from him."

Tonks grinned and filled out the record request. "Worth a shot, just be cool."

Hermione approached Birch-Lock's desk with four sheets of parchment, all record requests.

"What's this Black?" He asked turning from his stack of correspondence to glare at her.

"Record requests."

He snatched the papers from her and signed them. "Hold on wait a minute." He said pausing at the request for the records from the Weasley case. "I thought you had all you need for your examination."

"No, still need a few more things."

He grunted and signed it with a flourish. "Get out of here Black and I better not hear a request for more time on this case."  
Hermione nodded and left the office, her eyes wide. It could be nothing more than logs but still it was strange that the record numbers were written in the corners. 

* * *

The three boxes arrived after lunch, Hermione frowned, she was expecting a file or two not three boxes. She opened the first one and frowned, there had been a mistake. These files were for random wizard and witch cases, most of whom it appeared had been killed or were missing. She checked the file number and sure enough it matched the one on their original files.

"What the hell is this?" Tonks asked coming in seeing the boxes.

Hermione shut the door and cast a silence charm. "These are the classified files only they don't make sense, why would Ron's file be tied to these?"

Tonks picked on out of the second box at random and frowned reading it. "Brutal." She said holding up the image of a man who had had his throat cut, a pool of blood surrounded his head. She took out another one and froze, "Hermione." She whispered, "We- oh shit we're not supposed to see these. These are-" She held up a picture from another file, this wizard looked as if he had been tied to a tree and beaten.

"What the-" Hermione said looking at the date on the photograph. "Why haven't we investigated these?"

Tonks pushed the file back in and put the lid back on the box. "Hermione- these-" She shook her head, "These aren't meant for us to see."

"What are they though, why haven't we seen any of these cases?"

"Because we're not supposed to. Hermione I know why they closed Ron's case." She swallowed hard. "Shit we have to send these files back, like now."

Hermione frowned, "What the hell Tonks?"

"Hermione, these are the Raven files." Tonks whispered.

"What are the Raven files?"

"Not anything good." Tonks said taking the file from Hermione and shoving it back into the box.  
_


	7. Chapter 7

Hermione came home to an empty house even Tinkie did not answer when she called out, there was no note on the counter as she looked around to see if there was one on the table.

"Bloody hell." She shouted hearing the spell before she saw it. She ducked down behind the counter, "Not today Bella I'm tired." There was no other sound, she swallowed and crept around the side of the counter. What if it wasn't Bella, another spell landed just beside her leaving a scorch mark on the floor. She put her shield up and didn't move.

"Too loud." Andromeda said hitting her back with the flamewhip that seemed to be the witches favourite. Hermione screamed at the pain before Andromeda flashed out again in silence.

Hermione ran for the stairs to get to the safety of her bedroom, she turned the corner and found herself at the mercy of Bella, a smile played on her wife's lips as she twirled her wand around in her fingers. "Too predictable. She sliced Hermione on the arm and was gone.

Hermione growled, she regretted ending the regular dueling lessons. She heard Andromeda laughing and felt her face flush. She tried to control her breathing, she needed a place to hide. She focused on the closet and appeared among the dark robes and familiar safe smells.  
She calmed her breathing and strained to hear. She saw shadows moving under the door, she tried to focus on the garden outside and felt herself pushed back. The door opened and both witches stood over. "Never go where you can't escape." Bella said slicing her again on the leg. "Three strikes you're out." She put her wand away and shook her head. "You were dead in less than two minutes. How did you manage in the war?" Andromeda helped her stand, Hermione hobbled over to a chair and healed her leg and arm. She couldn't reach her back that was now throbbing. Neither witch moved to help her and she looked up at them bewildered, they always healed her after dueling.

"Dinner?" Andromeda said turning to leave the bedroom.

"I think so. I'll call Tinkie back, didn't think it would go so fast." Bella said following her sister from the room.

Hermione sat watching them go, she nearly collapsed into the desk when she heard them pause. "Fuck." She grabbed her wand and threw up a shield as another spell came whizzing into the room. Bella laughed and poked her head into the room.

"Good form Pet. Come you earned a healing now." Hermione stood, her shield not dropping though it flickered from the pain that was drawing her attention.

"I promise Pet we're done for now, let me heal you."

"Put the wand down then."

"I can't heal you without it."

"Bullshit."

"Pet seriously the game is over now, you lost, let me help you."

She still didn't drop it looking from Bella to Andromeda who both nodded in approval. "Not bad Angel." Andromeda said storing her wand as Bella did the same. "Come let me take care of it." She said stepping towards Hermione who finally dropped the shield and hissed in pain. "I know it hurts baby." Andy said gently pressing a kiss above the burnt flesh. She healed it slowly, Hermione swiped at her tears, "We're trying to keep you safe my Angel." Andy pressed another kiss to the now healed skin. Bella watched the interaction and then left the room. "No scars, all better." Hermione nodded numbly as Andromeda sat with her.

"Please stop doing this, I want to go back to how it was." Her voice was small and tired.

Andromeda's heart ached a little at how young Hermione sounded, "We can't it's the only way. You're too safe the other way. You'll get better you'll be surprised. I bet you'll never hide in a closet again."

"Is this really how you both learned?"

"I'm afraid so Pet." Andy said kissing Hermione's forehead. "It just gets harder from here." 

* * *

The three women were surprisingly quiet at dinner, each lost in their own thoughts as Tinkie served the meal. The small talk fell flat after a few moments when the tea was served at the end of the meal.

"I'm going for a swim." Hermione said finishing her cup.

"Take your wand." Bella said dipping her biscuit into the tea a smirk on her face.

She heard Hermione sigh as she retrieved her wand and walked out of the house.

"Bella enough tonight." Andromeda said sipping her tea.

"Of course, but she doesn't know that. She needs to be alert Andy even when she doesn't want to be." 

* * *

Hermione sighed as she sank into the hot water of the springs, her eyes closed, her fingers around the hilt of the wand next to her. She felt herself sinking slightly into sleep from the soothing heat on her muscles. She heard a twig snap and her eyes shot open, her fingers tightened around the wand. She moved quietly to the other side of the pool where the rocks would shield her a little.

"I come in peace." Andromeda said holding up both hands to show she was wandless. Hermione followed her with her eyes. "I won't use my hands."

Hermione relinquished the wand slowly as she watched Andromeda move to the side of the pool where Hermione's robes lay. "Can I join you?"

"Of course."

Andromeda removed her robes and then sank into the water, she closed her eyes for a moment enjoying the heat. "Best hot spring ever. How was your day love?"

Hermione's stomach relaxed, "Long."

Andy nodded, "It was a very long day. I was bored until Bella said we were going to ambush you. It was the highlight of my day." She tilted her head slightly, "Until now."

"What do you two do all day?"

Andromeda laughed as she moved slowly in the water towards Hermione. "Lots of things."

"Like what?" Hermione asked as Andy approached her, a smile playing on her lips that made Hermione acutely aware of the other woman's nearness.

"Think about you." She teased as her hands rested on Hermione's thighs. She loved watching the colour flush into Hermione's cheeks.

"What do you think about when you think of me?" Hermione asked in a whisper.

"The way you tremble." Andromeda whispered in her ear and felt the shiver through Hermione's body and she laughed quietly. She kissed Hermione's ear, "The soft little noises you make when we're together." She kissed Hermione's neck to hear her sigh. "Shall I go on?"  
Hermione nodded slowly feeling Andromeda's hand move up her leg and rest against her hip.  
"Your lips." She teased kissing Hermione so lightly that it almost didn't happen. She slowly pulled Hermione's legs open to rest between them. Hermione drew her in closer, her fingers trailed up and down Andromeda's back. "The way you whisper my name." She kissed Hermione again, not as lightly as before, her fingers slipping between Hermione's legs. Hermione sighed into the touch, a shiver moved through her at the thought of what Andy was about to do to her. "How innocent you are." Andy laughed again, Hermione loved that laugh, Bella had a similar laugh that could melt Hermione in an instant.

"Am I still so innocent?" Hermione asked her hand moving to Andromeda's to guide her to her entrance.

"Yes." Andromeda said letting Hermione lead her as she slipped into her. Hermione sighed in relief at the touch. 

* * *

Tonks groaned slightly and ate a cracker, "Crackers don't help it's a lot of crap." She said sipping water.

"No they never helped with Maia. Toast helped and really weak tea."

"They helped with Teddy but I was never this sick with Teddy." Tonks said resting her head on the desk.

"That is the one thing I do not miss and do not look forward to with the next one."

"Are you going to have another?" Tonks asked biting the corner of the cracker, her head still down on the desk.

"I think so." Hermione said thoughtfully, "I dunno didn't think about it really, it's just Maia."

Tonks nodded and sipped more water, "It was always just Teddy until I got pregnant with this one. You guys have to plan it though don't you?"

Hermione shook her head, "Bella just does a spell and it might work and might not kinda deal I guess just like you guys would do."

Tonks nodded, "Oh Merlin." She said racing out of the room for the loo. She nearly crashed into Andrews on her way out.

"Oh dear, I hope it's not catching."

Hermione rolled her eyes at Andrews and went back to reading over a file, she was recording all the numbers she found in the Raven files on the back page in the upper corner. She refused to send them back and Tonks refused to touch the files. She was nearly done, she explained to Tonks it would look suspect if they immediately sent them back. All in all she had recorded nearly fifty numbers that were tied to other cases.

They had three days to finish Ron's case before Birch-Lock was going to seal it. 

* * *

She came home and found Bella holding Maia up and pretending to drop her down. "Oops." Maia would squeal with laughter as Bella caught her again. "Oops." She squealed again. "Mummy's got you." She laughed with Maia.

"Up." Maia said bouncing as Bella did it again. Maia's vocabulary extended to 'No, mama, up and drink.' She was a genius in her mothers opinions and getting bigger every day.

Hermione leaned on the counter watching them play, Bella would devour her with kisses and then drop her down and make her laugh. Did Bella want another one, maybe she had never thought of it either.

"Oooo Mama's home. Lets give her kisses." Bella said tossing Maia over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes to bring her over for kisses. "She's very sticky." She explained as Maia planted a very sticky kiss to Hermione's lips before Bella kissed her hello. "Come take a bath with us?" 

* * *

They watched Maia sleeping, Bella's fingers brushing back the curls, her eyes locked onto the tiny features of her daughter's face. "She's so beautiful." Bella whispered pressing a kiss to the tiny hand. "Nearly two years since we made her." Another kiss to the other hand.  
Hermione smiled, Maia was a Beltane baby, blessed by the fairies according to the myths. She brushed her hand over Maia's foot, she marveled at how perfect she was. "She's still so small."

"She's perfect in every way." Bella said stepping back from the crib and lifting the rail up. She dimmed the lights down and released the toy fairies around the room. Maia now had a collection of ten fairies that fluttered around while she slept and scented the room with calming potions to keep Maia asleep until morning. 

* * *

"We should just ask him." Hermione said as she showed Tonks the list of numbers. She had sent the files back that morning. "Hey Birch we found these files tied to Ron's case. I would say that is significant to re investigate this entire thing and be given more time."

Tonks shook her head, "Are you crazy? We weren't even supposed to see those files, if you go to him you about this you can kiss your promotion goodbye and your job for that matter. I should have sent those damn files back the day they arrived."

"Tonks don't you see, something is going on and it's tied to Ron."

"Yeah, I see it Hermione, I know what Raven files are. You stay out of it. I never qualified for the Ravens because I am dead clumsy but Hermione we don't question what they do. You don't- it's dangerous. Trust me ok."

"But they are just-disappearing people and killing them."

"Yeah they are the reason the wizarding world is safe. You don't have to know everything that they do here. Leave it."

Birch-Lock stuck his head in and Tonks covered the parchment carefully, "Yeah?"

"Finished with this damn case yet? I have actual cases that need attention."

"Nearly-" Hermione started and Tonks glared at her. Birch-Lock watched the interaction.

"What does nearly mean Black? Have you found anything?"

Tonks pressed her foot down onto Hermione's. "Not yet, I thought there was something but I was mistaken."

He nodded, "Yeah you're not going to find anything new, everything checked out." 

* * *

Hermione had taken to arriving home at different times and in different spots to try and get a one up on either Andromeda or Bella. Today she arrived behind the garden and crouched down. She spied Bella weeding in the vegetable patch, her wand next to her in the basket, her back to Hermione. A smile crept over Hermione's face. She had her. She crept closer, her wand out as the spell flew towards Bella's back. She had her, she was almost giddy with excitement until Bella turned and fired it back at her. She had been so giddy she didn't manage to put her shield up. The spell knocked her over. "Too loud Pet." Bella called standing over her now, wand out as Hermione looked up from the ground. "That's one to me."

Hermione growled in frustration. "Where's Andy?"

Bella laughed, "Ready to strike so be weary."

They had three chances each to hit her. Bella flashed out as Hermione crouched again listening. Tonks came to play some days, she was much better than Hermione actually managing to kill Andromeda three times and Bella twice. Hermione hadn't landed a hit yet but she was staying alive longer each time.

Tonight she managed nearly ten minutes before Bella landed the last hit. She pressed a kiss to Hermione's bruised cheek. "This is the longest you've lived Pet. Well done."


	8. Chapter 8

Bella sat on the rocks with Andy watching Hermione swim lazily back and forth with Maia. She would blow on Maia's face and then dunk her into the water before coming back up gasping from the water on her face.

She had convinced Maia to jump from the side and into her arms after playfully splashing her several times. The toddler squealed when the water hit her toes, she would shout no and point to Hermione while looking to Bella for help.

"Bad Mama for splashing Mummy's baby."

Maia would just grin showing all her teeth at Bella before tapping the water at Hermione.

"She's so perfect." Andy said following Maia with her eyes as she crawled up onto the side of the pool to jump back to Hermoine.

Bella leaned back into Andy's arms and nodded.

"Watch-watch." Maia called looking at the two women before grinning and jumping back to Hermione.

The game continued until Tinkie arrived with the blanket and picnic basket. They had invited Tonks and Teddy but Tonks morning sickness kept her in bed and Harry was taking Teddy out to give Tonks a break. Harry politely declined the offer to picnic, Andromeda noticed he was never keen to come around without Dora being there. Bella feigned innocence in playing a part in that situation.

Bella wrapped Maia in a towel while Hermione dried off. She covered her in kisses giving her little bits of chicken and potato. Hermione watched them for a few minutes before starting to eat, her heart ached. Bella caught her glance and winked before pressing another kiss to Maia's head.

They sent Maia back with TInkie after lunch for a nap. The three of them lay back on the blanket staring at the sky before Hermione turned to curl into Bella who kissed her. "I love you." She whispered to Hermione's lips.

"I love you too." She replied kissing her back, a shiver tickled her stomach. She loved kisses like this.

Andromeda smiled and sat up to leave the couple to their own devices before she felt Hermione's hand on hers. "Stay. Why do you always leave?"

Bella looked at Andromeda over Hermione's head, "Stay Love." She kissed Hermione's hair, her eyes holding Andromeda's gaze before her sister looked away slightly flushed.

Andy relented and lay back down, "I leave to give you privacy Angel." She said answering Hermione's question, her fingers playing against Hermione's slowly.

"No." Hermione stated before pulling Andromeda into a kiss.

Bella watched the interaction between the pair, her eyes drinking in the touches, her heart pounded staring at their lips meeting. She felt Hermione reach back to pull her hand over to touch Andromeda, Hermione between them as Bella pulled Andromeda closer.

* * *

Hermione stood before Birch-Lock, her hand in her pocket feeling the piece of parchment with the names and case numbers from the Raven files. She trembled slightly, maybe Birch didn't know about this.

"So have you concluded from this investigation?" He asked reading over her brief notes.

Hermione opened her mouth to speak and heard Bella's voice in her head, 'too predictable' 'you're dead'. Her fingers squeezed around the parchment avoiding Birch-Locks eyes.

"Nothing, like you said." She answered disappointed in herself. Her breathing coming slightly faster from the lie. 'too loud' she heard Andromeda and remembered to calm herself quickly.

"I know it's hard Black, it's never easy to lose a friend. I just wish you had found something that showed we could go on." He was watching her waiting. Hermione swallowed again. Did he know?

"Me too." Hermione said in agreement, she buried the list in her mind, the boxes of files and met his eyes. "Me too."

He watched her for a moment before excusing her saying he was glad it was done and she had other cases to look into.

* * *

Hermione barely made it to her office, closing the door she collapsed at her desk. The parchment still in her pocket, her head pounded. She stared at the clock unable to apparate because she didn't trust herself to stay focused she flooed home. She stumbled out of the grate and sat on the floor, her wand clattering to the floor as Andromeda appeared a spell on her fingertips. She hesitated as Hermione looked up at her the spell vanished as Andromeda sank down to the floor looking at her.

"What happened?" Andy asked feeling Hermione's head, her face was very pale and her eyes were bloodshot. Bella come into the room, wand out for a moment until she saw Hermione.

"Pet." She said crossing the room joining Andy on the floor looking at her. "Pet what happened?"

Hermione fell into Bella's arms and took a shuddering breath, finally safe enough to cry she sobbed mumbling against Bella's neck. Andy shook her head unable to make out the words, her hand rubbing up and down her back.

"I let him down." She whispered, her words coming in small little spasms.

"Who Angel?" Andy asked still rubbing her back. Hermione continued her little gasps as she tried to speak again.

"Ron." She whispered pulling tighter into Bella's arms.

"How my Pet? You did everything you could. You've spent ages re-investigating everything." Bella said reassuring her.

Hermione pulled the parchment out of her pocket not looking at either witch. Andromeda unfolded it and read over it frowning before she handed it to Bella. Bella looked it over, her eyes pausing at two names on the list. Whispers of the names floated in her mind somehow as she looked at the names again.

* * *

She waited until they were both asleep, slipping from the bed Bella entered the closet and moved towards the back wall. She sliced her wand down against the stone revealing a door, she looked at the parchment in her hand as she entered the windowless room. The room held only a pensieve and a metal case on a table. She clicked the case latches, the noise impossibly loud in the silence to reveal the multiple phials filled with silver liquid. She compared the list to the phials and found five names in the end that matched. Of course they kept files on them. She sighed taking the contents from on of the names she didn't recall and poured it out. She and Andy had found that if she stored her memories this way it helped with the nightmares and lessened the dark days when the memories of the dead overwhelmed her.

She felt herself falling into the memory and arrived sounded by little houses in a tiny village. She peered through the windows as a younger version of her walked down the narrow lanes between the houses, her wand out to strike. She never revisited the memories but she couldn't remember this one. The others she could grasp at wisps which was enough but this one, it eluded her try as she might to remember.

She watched herself pause and look through a window a smile crept onto her lips. Bella swallowed looking at her own face, the look that Hermione must have seen so long again. The cold remorseless look, the final pleasure that broke out when she had finally finished the job. She peered through the window next to herself, "No." She whispered, "Oh Merlin." She shook her head. At the table was a couple around Hermione's age, a little boy sat across from them eating a piece of bread. She watched herself check the parchment again and frown. She backed away from the window to wait, relief flooded her slightly, she didn't kill children.

She pushed the memory forward until the lights went out in the house, Bella peered again through the window and waited, the woman went upstairs while the man sat by the fireplace reading over something in a letter. Bella moved silently around the side of the house and up the outer-stairs. She waited while the woman put the child to bed, she sighed impatient with the boy who wanted one more story. Bella pushed the memory forward again. The woman was alone in the bedroom now, Bella silently removed the glass from the window and waited. The woman went into the bathroom and started the bath, Bella held her hand open, palm up, the white light spun slowly in her hand. She waited until the spell stopped spinning before she closed her fist around the white light. The woman fell silently onto the floor, her eyes wide and staring.

Bella looked between the dead woman and herself, her mouth aghast in horror. She could only see Hermione laying on the floor, lifeless, gone. She ripped herself out of the memory and held both sides of the pensieve. Her breath came out in ragged gasps. She didn't put the memory back in the phial.

She left the room leaving Hermione's parchment on the table beside the pensieve. She realized she was shaking when she moved to seal the room. She tried to control herself from trembling as she stepped from the closet. She was a good person now that is what mattered, she told herself. She was a good person, she did these things for the greater good. All those things were for the greater good.

* * *

Hermione stirred slightly in her sleep and into Bella's pillow a soft sight escaped when she breathed in the Bella's jasmine scent. Bella's chest felt tight as she stared down at her wife, Hermione stirred again and opened her eyes slowly.

"Bella?" She questioned turning slightly

"It's alright Pet go to sleep." Came the reply in a pained whisper.

"What's the matter?" Hermione asked reaching her hand out to Bella and pulling her softly to sit on the bed.

"My head is very loud tonight Pet." Bella said brushing back some of Hermione's hair.

"Can I help?"

Bella gave a sad smile, "You already have just by being you."

Andromeda moved slightly on the bed still sleeping through their whispers.

"Come." Hermione said squeezing Bella's hand and leading her out of the room and down the stairs.

They curled up on the couch by the fireplace, Bella's fingers wrapped in Hermione's hair. "I'm a good person Pet." She whispered to Hermione's nods.

"I know you are." Hermione kissed her neck.

Bella sighed in relief at Hermione's words. "Say it again."

"You're a good person."

Bella found her mouth and kissed her. "I was good even then."

"You were." Hermione said returning the kiss.

"I'd do anything to keep you and Maia safe."

"I know that." she reassured her.

They kissed again, Bella's hand rested on Hermione's hip.

"I love you." she whispered in Bella's ear and heard the soft sigh.

"I love you too." She moved so Hermione could lay on top of her.


	9. Chapter 9

"Do you want me to come with you?" Hermione asked after Bella explained the letter that had arrived for her that morning.

"No Pet, trust me, we're not close, I won't be crying over his death." She said folding the letter up. "I don't want to go myself but there is no one else." She sighed and leaned back in the chair, her breakfast untouched at the moment. "It's my last obligation as a Lestrange." She frowned as Andy entered the room. She held out the letter to her sister to read over.

Andy skimmed the letter quickly, "I thought that bastard was dead already."

"Sadly no but soon, I'd give him three days at most."

"Do you need me to come?"

Bella smiled at Andy and then Hermione, "No, he hates you and dying men have a way of producing a sudden wave of magic. I couldn't forgive myself if you were his target."

"I can handle myself." Andy countered, she knew the history between Bella and her father in law.

"I know dearest." Bella said turning to instruct Tinkie to pack her bags for a few days. "I should be back by Saturday. You'll take care of Pet while I'm away?"

Andy nodded and winked at Hermione. "Of course."

With tears and cuddles from Hermione and kisses for Maia, Bella set out for her final meeting with Rodolphus' father.

Bella was greeted by the aged house elf who led her through the corridor to the sitting room. The old mans bed was set in the room facing the best light. Bella set her bags down, she could go to her room later. She hoped for a painful slow death for the man laying before her but that would mean she would be stuck there until he went.

"Bella." He said opening his eyes as she sat. "Where's my boy, keeping you busy I suspect."

"He's dead father." She wasn't going to play the game this time. "Killed by a werewolf."

He chuckled at her words, "Oh Bella always with the dark humour, when is he coming to see me?"

"Oh with any luck you'll see him by nightfall." Bella said hopeful.

"You should rest my dear it isn't good for the baby all that running around you do. I told Rodolphus you should rest lest the baby suffer. In my day women were confined to their chambers to await the arrivals."

Bella sighed and declined the house elf's offer of tea.

"I had the baby father." She tried again to pull him out of the past.

"Weak." He spat at her in disgust. "Running around like a harlot, seducing my son while you carried his child. It's your fault that child died Bella. I told Rodolphus, I told him to force you to rest but you're so stubborn. Faulty genes, disgusting. I've heard about you." He wagged his finger at her.

"Just die old man." Bella said glaring at him, he began laughing which turned into a coughing fit. The house elf appeared and helped him sit up to catch his breath. Bella waited for the elf to disappear again before speaking again.

"I have a child now, do you remember that? With a mudblood."

The old man glared at her, "Disgusting whore." He said his breath growling in his chest and churned. "the whole lot of you are defective."

"She's perfect and beautiful. Not your heir." She smiled at this seeing the old mans anger flash. "When you die old man your name dies with you. I'm going to burn this house to the ground and dance on the ashes."

He sat up trying to curse her, Bella laughed at his feeble attempts to use magic, he was too angry, to addled to be successful.

"No sons, no grandchildren, all dead and gone, even the bastards. Oh didn't you know I knew about Rodolphus' bastard?"

The old man looked shocked to Bella's wolfish grin, she had him. "The mirror image of his father and I killed him. He died screaming for mercy. Pathetic really." She was enjoying the look of horror on her father in law's face. "No honour in his death just grovelling and sniffling while I tortured him."

"Get out!" The old man shouted as he managed to produced a crucio curse, Bella roared with laughter as it hit her. The sensation barely lasted a minute as Bella shook it off and stood, the mans eyes were terrified.

"Not the little girl anymore who bowed to all your commands." She crossed the room and closed the blinds to plunge the room into a depressing light. "That's better, no need for nice pretty days for you where you're going."

Hermione sat in Birch-Lock's office, her hands shook slightly, he knew, he knew about the files. Tonks glanced at her and then looked away, her face a storm of emotions that told Hermione that she was to blame for the bitch fest that was coming their way. He sat down with a sigh and looked at them.

"Black," He looked at her, "As of now you no longer work for my department."

Hermione's mouth fell open, "I can explain, I-"

"You're not fired Black, you're promoted." He handed her a sheaf of parchment.

Tonks looked at Hermione in surprise and then at Birch-Lock. "You too Tonks. Report downstairs after lunch today. Clear out your desks. It's been a pleasure working with you both and best of luck."

Birch-Lock wasn't big on goodbyes, he looked back down at his desk meaning they were dismissed.

Hermione walked with Tonks to go clear their desks out. "What's downstairs?" Hermione asked shrinking her things to fit in her bag.

"Beats the hell out of me, usually promotions mean you move upstairs." Tonks said taking down her pictures. "Still, new place, new people."

"Do you think this has anything to do with the-" Hermione lowered her voice, "The files?"

Tonks nodded, "Oh yeah, big time."

Tonks and Hermione arrived at a nondescript door two floors below Magical Law Enforcement. They checked the parchment again to be certain they had the correct place. Yes this was where the letter told them to go. They glanced at one another as Tonks knocked on the door and waited for an answer. The door shimmered for a moment and then opened for them, they stepped through and saw a room with two chairs and a mirror, no table. They laid thier stuff down and took a seat.

"I don't think we're in the right place." Hermione said looking at the pair of them reflected in the glass. Tonks pulled out the parchment again and read it over. She held it out to show Hermione they were in fact in the correct place according to the promotion letter. Hermione kept her eyes on her reflection in the mirror, was it a two way mirror like on television perhaps. She got up from the chair and approached the mirror, her wand out as she touched it carefully. The mirror material wavered slightly from her touch, she smiled over her shoulder at Tonks. "Come on." She stepped through the mirror and entered into a comfortable room with squishy armchairs and a tea service laid out. Tonks joined her a moment later looking around in appreciation.

"Welcome." Came a woman's voice behind them. "If you'll please just set your things down and join us in the conference room." Hermione and Tonks jumped slightly at the sudden appearance of the woman, she was tall with light brown hair and icy blue eyes; the smile didn't quite reach the rest of her face muscles.

Bella counted the hours as they ticked by, the old man sleeping taking noisy breaths, each one threatening to be his last. There had been one visitor the entire day, an old man named Hauskins that Bella did not know. Apparently they had gone to school together at Durmstrang oh so many years ago. The old man had been asleep when he came by and had not woken up during the visit. They had sat in silence drinking tea waiting for the old man to awaken. Bella bade him goodbye when it was apparent that he was not going to wake up. Bella summoned a healer when his breathing became laboured to the point of only a few breathes a minute. It wouldn't be long now the healer assured her. Bella sat again in the chair going back to counting the hours until her freedom from the Lestrange legacy.

Tonks and Hermione sat at the long polished table not recognising a single face that appeared in front of them.

"What department is this?" Hermione asked after declining tea and opting for water.

"We are not a department Lady Black, we are an independent entity operating out of the Ministry."

Hermione had never been addressed as Lady Black before, it threw her off slightly.

"Hermione will suit me just fine." She said glancing at Tonks.

"Oh I am afraid I cannot be so informal with a member of the ancient and most noble house of Black. Forgive me but tradition must be upheld." The woman nodded her head towards Tonks. "You are Nymphadora Tonks yes?"

"I am. It's Lupin actually, Nymphadora Lupin."

The woman nodded and made a note on her parchment. "Forgive me Ms. Lupin, we were unsure of the proper title for you. We'll just be a moment longer." She said with a smile looking towards the door waiting.

He died at two in the afternoon, Bella sank with relief into the chair as the healer checked him over. The spells that had been on the house fell away as an owl appeared at the window almost instantly tapping against the glass. Bella took the letter and read it over, the contents of the Lestrange Vault for the elder was now transferred into her own vault. The summary was attached, the amount did not interest her. She never touched the gold in the Lestrange account she would leave that for her children with Hermione if they even needed or wanted it.

She looked around the house and sighed, all the artifacts and priceless heirlooms of the Lestrange family would have to be organised and sold. She had no interest in any of it but knew the house had to be cleared out before she could burn it down. The house elf wept loudly at the old man's feet. He was released from his servitude from the old man and now was passed on to Bellatrix. She eyed the elf unsure of what to do with him, he was nice enough she supposed but she had Tinkie. She would send him to Narcissa, her house was big enough to incorporate another elf.

She gave the elf the ring bearing the Lestrange coat of arms as a keepsake. He wept harder at her generosity as she explained he would go into the service of her sister. The elf was grateful to serve in the Malfoy house. Master Lestrange had always thought highly of Narcissa Malfoy he explained. Bellatrix nodded as the elf winked out of the room with a letter to deliver to Cissy.

She would be home by nightfall, a smile on her lips as she looked down at the old man. She was free from ever dealing with the Lestranges again. She sighed again, the weight of that name lifted from her. She would leave all the clearing to the lawyers and appraisers.

Birch-Lock walked into the room, Tonks and Hermione looked confused as he sat down as the rest of those assembled began to stir and chat quietly among themselves. He smiled at Tonks and Hermione, his eyes twinkling slightly at their surprise.

"But I thought-" Hermione said confused.

"I said you no longer work for the investigation department, I never said you stopped working for me." He explained as he read over the notes quickly before clearing his throat.  
_


	10. Chapter 10

"What are the Raven files then?" Hermione asked as Birch-Lock nodded slightly to acknowledge the question.

"The files themselves contain the information around the collateral damage. The Raven Organisation is where we have operatives who go into the field to do clean-ups. A select group of individuals with a- well quite frankly with a talent for stealth and killing."

"How many operatives are there?" Tonks asked glancing at the silent members around the table.

"Currently we have ten operatives in various levels of activation. We started this program about fifteen years ago. Ms. Fairchild told you, we're a separate entity from the Ministry. We're free agents working in tandem with other agencies and governments around the world."

"What happens when an individual is no longer working in the field?"

"They train the new recruits, work here in the office or simply retire. Fairchild left the field what, three years ago?"

She nodded curtly.

Hermione looked over at the older woman in surprise, she would have thought Fairchild for a Professor or a librarian, not a trained killer.

"Our operatives can blend into any situation Black." Birch-Lock said as if reading her mind, "And of course we have a few metamorphs who can blend into anything."

Hermione licked her lips and sipped some water with a frown. "So no more field work for either of us?"

"Well, no, you're an assessor and Tonks, well, with your abilities we're going to talk to you about training as an operative. If it isn't to your liking or not something you feel you want to commit to, then you'll return and join Hermione as an assessor."

Tonks and Hermione looked at each other smiling.

"So if you two ladies accept then Tonks you'll go with Fairchild here and Black, you are with me. See you only had to miss me for ten minutes." He winked at her.

Tonks looked at Hermione again, "I'm going to go, alright?"

Hermione nodded and gave her a hug, "Good luck."

Fairchild stood along with all the other members at the table, she looked at Hermione, "It was a pleasure to meet you Lady Black." and with that she ushered Tonks out the door that Birch-Lock had entered through. Hermione felt a sudden loneliness without Tonks beside her.

"Why did you select us?" Hermione asked thoughtfully, "Not that we're not grateful but why us? We break the rules, we essentially stole the files with your signature and went behind your back to secure a re investigation into Ron's case."

He nodded happily as she spoke, "It isn't just the files being stolen with my signature Black or the re investigation. I've had you earmarked for this for about a year now it was just the opportunity came up to bring you on board so I took it."

"Why does Ron have ties to this organisation?" Hermione asked and waited, she ached for the answer and prayed for closure. "Was he a clean-up job?" Her voice tight.

Birch-Lock studied her for a moment, "I knew this would come up." He tapped his quill on the table for a moment. "No he wasn't a clean-up job."

"But he was- what an operative gone rouge or something?"

Birch-Lock laughed, "Our operatives don't go rouge, they can't, they are free agents and go with whomever they want."

Hermione nodded and waited, Birch-Lock stared at her and then sighed, "He was murdered." Her voice slightly breathless.

"He was." Birch-Lock said with regret. "Though his murderer has been eliminated, with haste in fact."

"But-" Hermione said shaking her head in disbelief. "Why didn't you tell his family. You let them think he died on accident or killed himself."

"This is where you assess Black. Think about this for a moment if the story came out he was murdered. To think that someone was easy to reach in Azkaban would undermine the power of the prison and the Ministry itself after these years of trying to build up a peace Black. The assessment was that we would sell the story he killed himself while finding the real target and eliminating him." Birch-Lock pushed a file towards Hermione, it was marked with a different name.

She opened it up and swallowed unprepared for the photographs that showed a young man dead in the snow, his throat cut in a pool of bloody slush. A follower of Voldemort who harboured a creepy obsession with Ron. The photographs of his flat illustrated the level of his obsession. Pictures of Ron covered the walls, maps of his movements, time lines and pictures of the family. The flat looked strangely like Ron's cell except the pictures had been of Bellatrix and Hermione.

"At first we were not sure but our operatives checked out with their contacts and it became clear very quickly this went deeper than a routine hit job. It's what we do Hermione. It's justice on a new level."

"Who was the operative?" asked Hermione looking at the final page.

"One of our best, I felt I owed you that much and his family." Birch-Lock said holding his hand out for the file. Hermione gave it back reluctantly.

"But who are they, these people who don't mind killing?" Hermione swallowed feeling slightly sick. She imagined this man's killer to live in a stark little flat eating take out and drinking beers to drown their sorrows and murder their emotions. Grisly trophies of each kill lining the walls of their windowless room.

Birch-Lock cleared his throat. "They blend Black into society, they are everywhere. Fairchild was a secretary in her day job, married with two children actually."

Hermione's eyes were wide, "How?"

Birch-Lock squirmed slightly and tread carefully, "Because they understand that what they are doing is necessary so the people they love can sleep safely at night."

Hermione thought back to Bellatrix killing the man in the forest without so much as a thought because he threatened Hermione. She killed him less than a second and never spoke about it again. Bellatrix would do this kind of thing to keep the people she loved safe, she had told Hermione over and over again she would do anything to keep her and Maia safe. It made sense.

"When do I get to meet the operatives?" Hermione said curious now about these unassuming assassins.

"You don't." Birch-Lock said snapping his fingers that called forth three elves. "Lunch?"

* * *

Hermione woke, her body felt as if it were on fire, her clothes damp from sweat as her heart pounded in her ears. She looked around the room, her wand flying to her fingers silently. She swallowed and looked around, neither Bella nor Andromeda were in the bed, she listened hard and heard nothing. She crept slowly out of the bed staying low as she exited the room. When she entered the hallway she heard them downstairs, heard the movement. She stayed against the wall praying the stairs wouldn't creak and give away her position. This was not the first night game they had played.

A shot of light went over her head but she vanished before it found the mark. She reemerged in the garden behind the wall with a nearly silent pop. She spied Andromeda crouched and smiled. Focusing her thoughts she sent a stinging hex and managed to get Andy in the back. A scream let her know she had been successful. She vanished quickly to not disclose her location. She reppeared behind the house near the kitchen. Bella was still in the living room, her head turned towards the sound of Andromeda's scream. "Nice one Pet." Hermione heard her say. She ducked down and inched towards the door staying in the shadows. Two more hits was all she needed .

The spell collided with her side sending her skidding through the grass and dirt. Andy hissed in pain, her back swollen with stings. "Bad form." She said before sending another spell that Hermione rolled away from. The ground next to her now sporting a small crater. She threw up her shield as Andromeda cast another spell. It hit hard causing Hermione's shield to nearly shatter.

"Get away Pet." Bella called as Andy struck again, her smile widening. Hermione couldn't move away, she couldn't vanish and Andy laughed. She had her, the next spell shattered Hermione's shield as she screamed when the spell hit her. It felt like a hundred shards of glass sliced through her arm, she reeled in pain.

"Stop, stop." She called but Andy had no intention of stopping, she had her, one more strike. Hermione took a breath and cast her spell at the same time as Andy, the light bounced off one another and Hermione threw another in quick succession. A red line appeared down Andy's leg, blood appearing. Hermione vanished.

"Don't let her get the better of you." Bella growled as Andy healed the cut quickly and Bella healed the stinging jinx.

In the end Andy got the final hit in before Hermione could best her. Bella remained untouched by all of Hermione's attempts leaving her furious.

"You don't play fair." Hermione complained as Bella healed the cut on her forehead.

"Of course I don't, why would I Pet?" Bella said as Andy left the room to shower. "There, how does that feel?" Bella asked pressing gently where the cut had been and pausing before placing a kiss to it. "I just want you safe Pet."

Hermione wrapped her fingers in Bella's hair and pressed a hard kiss to her lips. Bella was surprised but returned her kiss with a smile. It was rare that Hermione took control, her head was swimming from hitting Andromeda twice as she pulled Bella towards the bed, her fingers working against the ties on Bella's sleep pants.


	11. Chapter 11

Hermione opened her eyes, her head on Bella's chest. She blinked in the darkness at the gleam of Bella's wand on the nightstand. She had played with it before tried to get it work for her but it never did. Bella had laughed at her feeble attempt to produce a spell with it, she didn't understand wand lore, Bella could use Hermione's wand as if it were her own but she couldn't even manage a spark from Bella's. She curled in tighter and closed her eyes, her mouth closed over Bella's exposed nipple for a moment rolling it with her tongue between her teeth. The wand seemed to gleam again as Bella stirred slightly from the pressure of Hermione's tongue.

"Why does it fascinate you Pet?" Bella whispered making Hermione jump slightly and bite her nipple a bit harder than she intended. Bella laughed at the sharp pain of her teeth. Hermione left her breast and smiled innocently. Bella lifted the wand from the nighstand and held it out to her.

Hermione took it gingerly and Bella smirked, "You're too sweet for my wand Pet." Bella said running her hand over Hermione's back.

"Why does it gleam like that?" Hermione asked enjoying the soft touches against her back.

Bella shifted slightly pulling Hermione to lay on top of her. "Like what?"

"Like on it's own, it gleams sometimes."

Bella rocked her hips up slowly to brush her thigh between Hermione's legs and held her hand out for the wand. Hermione handed it back with a frown, her fingers felt cold now that it was gone. Bella ran the tip over Hermione's breasts, the golden tattoo that marked her skin shone in the darkness for a moment. "It wants to play." She answered finally drawing it against Hermione's skin again making the tattoo glow once more. "Do you want to play Pet?" she pushed against Hermione's center again causing her to shiver.

"Yes." She breathed out as Bella touched her lips with the wand tip, Hermione felt the heat off the wand. Bella circled her mouth and smiled when Hermione kissed the warm wood of it.

"Good girl." She said seeing that Hermione understood how to play the game. "Tell your Bella what you want her wand to do."

Hermione flushed crimson as Bella brushed the wand over her lips again and Hermione kissed it once more. "Tell me what to do Pet."

"I-" She wasn't sure she could say it, Bella started to drop the wand from her mouth and trace it over her breasts again. She could see the words hanging there in Hermione's mind, her mouth watered at the thought of what her lover was thinking.

She left a silver trail along Hermione's skin, the heat sinking into her warming her body as Hermione moved again. Bella slid it back up to her lover's mouth pushing it slowly between her lips. Hermione looked surprised and relieved as the warm wood filled her mouth for a moment, her tongue brushing against the polished wood before Bella pulled it away again. She pouted at the loss of contact with the wood, Bella smirked and returned it for another brush against Hermione's mouth.

"Is that what Bella's little Pet wants?" She cooed moving the wand back out before moving it in again letting Hermione's tongue move against it once more. Hermione's eyes closed against the strange sensation of what Bella's wand was doing to her.

Bella drew it away from her lips now, holding it away even from contacting Hermione's skin. Her lovers eyes opened in surprise to no longer feeling the warmth on her skin. "No-" Hermione said to Bella's smile.

"What else do you want?" She pulled Hermione to rock between her legs, hissing slightly at the pleasure of the heat against her sex. The wand gleamed in Bella's hand, the faint lines of silver still on Hermione's skin. Hermione leaned over and whispered against Bella's ear as if the wand could hear her. Perhaps it could she wasn't sure. Bella moaned slightly at her request and then moved so she could lay over her, the wand tracing slowly along Hermione's thighs.

Bella's mouth burned against Hermione's breasts as she kissed them lovingly, her tongue moved down between her legs to taste her. The sweet salty taste that Bella craved met her there, her tongue pressing to catch more of the wetness and draw it in. Bella leaned back and then pressed the wand between Hermione's legs, a smile spread on her lips as she pressed it in deeper. Hermione gasped slightly as the warm wood moved inside her deeper than anything she had experienced before. Bella concentrated on the wand thrusting in and out as Hermione moved against it.

Hermione groaned when Bella slipped it away from her again, the endless teasing was frustrating her as Bella thrust it back to the hilt causing Hermione to lift slightly from the bed, the spell Bella had cast made it feel bigger as it entered her. "It wants you to cum Pet." Bella said her voice dripping with desire from watching Hermione fucking the wand.

Bella lowered herself between Hermione's legs, her tongue matching the thrusts pushing Hermione towards the release she knew was building quickly. "Fuck." Hermione groaned when it finally crashed through her, "Bella." She cried out, her thighs squeezing hard against Bella's hand as she cried out her name again. She shuddered, tears filling her eyes, Bella slpped the wand away from her laying it back on the nightstand. It was rare that Hermione cried in bed after they made love.

"Shhh my love." Bella whispered pulling Hermione into her arms. "I've got you. It's alright." She pressed gentle kisses to her cheeks and lips. "Oh my sweet girl."

Hermione buried her face into Bella's neck shuddering again. "I don't want that again." She said sniffing and shaking.

"It's alright we won't, not ever again." She assured her. It wasn't the first time they had played something in bed that Hermione regretted after, the regret didn't last but her innocence at times won out and embarrassed her for a while. "You're too sweet for my wand Pet."

Hermione nodded not looking at the now offensive piece of gleaming wood on the nightstand.

"Did it overwhelm you"

Hermione nodded again still unable to look at Bella.

"It was all me baby girl. All my desire for you, I'm sorry it overwhelmed you Pet."

Her fingers tangled into Bella's hair for a moment before she looked up her, "I- I didn't-"

Bella caught her lips in a kiss, "You're so beautiful." Bella whispered, the memory of Hermione spread before her on the bed made Bella tremble slightly as she stroked Hermione's breast. Her fingers teasing the taut nipple before she bent her head slightly to capture it against her teeth. Hermione's back arched against the sweet assualt.

"Do the spell Bella." Hermione whispered, Bella looked at her. "Please, I need to feel you inside me, just you." 

* * *

Hermione came into her new office, there were three files sitting on her desk for assessment. Birch-Lock had said he would be by later to help her assess but in the meantime she needed to read through the files and get familiar with each case.

She opened the first one, the mark was a known werewolf. She shivered slightly looking at the pictures of his victims. With the peace time legislation, eliminating this suspect would look bad for the ministry. She began to understand her job was more about protecting the image of the Ministry more than protecting the greater community.

Her eyes fell on the file on top of the cabinet, the one containing the information about Ron's killer. She left the other two files and grabbed the one from the cabinet. She read it over, stared at the images of the man dead in the snow. Locals were told it was a robbery gone wrong. She frowned reading over the articles attached, no witnesses, no strangers in town, he was known throughout the village as a bright and kind young man. The villagers were shocked he was a former death eater. He reminded Hermione of Barty Crouch Jr. somewhat, a death eater who was loyal until the end. One who fooled his own mother into believing he was a good person. She swallowed and closed the file. The blood in the slushy snow made her feel sick to her stomach. She opened the file again and found the operative number. She requested the rest of the files for that operative. Birch had told her she would get to know each one in time, she was curious about this one so she figured it was a good place to start.

Hermione came home to Bella sitting on the nursery floor with Maia stacking blocks.

"Here mummy, here." She would say before handing Bella a block to put on the tall leaning tower. "Dis one mummy dis one." She would command giving another.

She stood in the door way watching the game, when the tower was tall enough Maia would push it over laughing when one would hit her in the head. The soft little blocks caused no injury to the toddler as she chucked some at Bella to throw back at her.

"Hi Mama." Bella said stacking the blocks again in the endless game. "Come stack blocks it's so fun." She didn't miss the tone and laughter behind it as Maia squealed pushing the stack over again. "We've been playing push the blocks for an hour." Bella rolled her eyes gathering the blocks again to stack up.

Hermione joined them on the floor building up the tower for Maia to push over. The game continued until Maia's supper. They fed her in the nursery before bathing her and putting her to bed.

* * *

"Birch, how do I decide which operative to use?" She asked discarding one of the files as not a threat, the other two however were in need of a clean up.

"Well, you look at the styles of each one and decide how much or how little force is used."

Hermione frowned, "The werewolf needs someone fast. The blackmarket dealer needs someone who is stealthy and can stay hidden, make it look like an accident or a robbery or something."

Birch-Lock nodded, "So who will it be?"

Hermione chewed her lip for a moment, she was about to decide the fate of four people. She felt herself tremble slightly. "I think for the werewolf we'll used operative number five." She said pulling the card for number five out of the holder and laying it on top of the file.

"And the trader?"

"Number three." She swallowed and felt sick to her stomach.

"Are you sure?" Birch-Lock asked as she took the number 3 card out of the holder and added it to the file.

She took a breath and nodded, "What happens now?"

"I contact them and meet with them to arrange the details." Birch-Lock said tapping both files, Hermione watched them shimmer slightly and disappear.

"Good work Black, you can go until the arrangement are made."

"Home?"

"Unless you want to stay here at work until the operatives contact me, but yeah you don't have anything to do until the next cases come in."


	12. Chapter 12

"What's the matter Pet?" Bella asked looking up from the hammock where she was sitting with Maia swinging back and forth. The little girl had her head on Bella's chest babbling sleepily, Bella's fingers in the girls mouth as she gnawed on them. It seemed to be the only thing that soothed the teething.

Hermione came over and sat heavily into the chair and stared at the pair, Maia didn't lift her head, she continued her little sing song babble laughing every now and again at something she said. She was slap happy as Andy called it, it was an hour after her bedtime and she was still awake.

"Work." Was Hermione's answer as she leaned back and smiled at Maia who bit down hard on Bella's fingers.

"Easy Lamb." Bella said pulling her hand back slightly to Maia's giggles. She rolled her eyes as Maia fell into peels of laughter. "She won't sleep, it's been tired giggling for an hour now." Bella adjusted herself slightly on the hammock and snuggled the little girl into her chest. The pressure of being against Bella's breasts seemed to work magic. Maia's thumb went to her mouth and her eyes began almost immediately to get heavy. This lasted for a moment or two until she moved her thumb and sought Bella's breast. "Alright Lamb. Just once more." She cooed and allowed Maia to settle herself down to nurse. Bella shook her head and stroked Maia's cheek, the little girl smiled up at her with heavy sleepy eyes. "That's mummy's baby. So sleepy." Bella said watching Maia's eyes begin to close and reopen. "Such a beautiful girl."

Bella's attention returned to Hermione now, "What happened at work Pet?"

Hermione was watching Maia lost in thought. She smiled gently at how safe Maia looked held in Bella's arms. Nothing bad to ever touch her or make her sad, the dark haired witch protecting her always to ensure that would be a reality. Hermione's mind floated to the mother on the goddess statue, it seemed an eternity ago that she had been there with Andromeda.

Her attention snapped back to Bella who watched her intensely, she had been looked at every image that Hermione had been focused on.

"It's rude to look into my thoughts you know." Hermione said in a tired voice.

"I know it's hard not to when you're so quiet, it's easier sometimes than making you talk." Bella said shifting to stand from the hammock.

"Let me put this one to bed and I'll be back alright. Just wait here." Bella said walking from the garden, Maia sound asleep now against her breast.

Hermione watched the pair leave the garden and go into the house, she noticed that Andromeda was nowhere to be seen. No, she was too tired for the game tonight, the warm spring air made her dizzy from the jasmine and roses that scented the air so heavily. She stood for what felt like ages for Bella to return from the nursery and gave up. She left a silver trail behind her with her wand along with various items of clothing as she headed towards the hot spring.

Andy was there already swimming, her naked form moved slowly back and forth in the water, she took no notice of the appearance of Hermione. She could hex her, she could get her right now. She could win the game finally so quickly. Hermione sighed and didn't raise her wand, she sank into the water earning Andromeda's attention now.

"Hi Angel." She said moving her wand heat the water up a bit more, she knew Hermione liked it a bit hotter. "You could have won the game just now so easily." She said smirking, it left her face when she saw Hermione's frown. She moved through the water to Hermione and pulled her into an embrace. She knew that look, Dora got it from time to time when the darkness of work crept in and threatened to steal away the light of life.

"I'll keep you safe." Andromeda whispered as Hermione trembled in her arms. She said the things she had told Dora during her Auror training. "You're safe Angel." She whispered as Hermione's fingers dug into her arms as if it would anchor her to the Earth. She had ordered two men to be murdered. What of the souls of those she ordered to commit the crime. She felt as if she were going to be sick as the sobs threatened to rip from her chest.

Bella arrived at the edge of the pool, Hermione's clothes in her hands as she watched the pair in the water. Hermione did not look up as she trembled against Andromeda trying to catch her breath, Andy met Bella's eyes with a questioning look, Bella shrugged. She was annoyed that Hermione did not wait for her in the garden. A scowl found it's way to Bella's face as she looked at the pair, Andromeda whispering to Hermione who did not move from her arms. She had been gone all of five minutes, she couldn't wait? No she had to run to Andromeda. Bella was taking care of their child and Hermione couldn't wait the five minutes it took for Bella to hold her. For Bella to comfort her and tell her it was alright. No she ran to Andromeda the moment Bella left. Even now she didn't look up, didn't come to Bella's arms. Andy saw the look on her sister's face and shook her head slightly at her and mouth 'stop it'. Bella dropped Hermione's clothes in a heap. Let Andy take care of her, she wanted Andy, she had seen it in the garden. She wanted to be with Andy at the goddess statue, to feel safe. Let Andy make her feel safe then.

* * *

Bella was gone when Hermione and Andromeda arrived back at the house, Hermione had the dropped clothes in her hand that Bella had left at the pool. She hadn't known that Bella had arrived, her chest still felt heavy from her day. Why had Bella left the pool without joining them? Hermione looked around the sitting room and kitchen with no sign of Bella.

"Bella?" She called out to silence.

She walked up the stairs and peered into the nursery and the bedroom thinking perhaps Bella was in the bathroom. Still no sign of her, the bed was made perfectly and Bella's wand was not on the nightstand.

Hermione focused on the their Beltane bed and appeared in the room. The lights ignited when she entered the room which meant Bella was not there. The room felt cold and unused, a slight chill hung in the air here as the fire roared to life. The bed gleamed slightly and Hermione sighed wishing she would find Bella's sleeping form there. She exited the room slowly making a note to come here with Bella soon, she loved the room and Beltane was fast approaching.

* * *

"You sent a message to my home Birch are you crazy?" Bella asked lighting the fag.

"I apologise, the message was enchanted to only be read by you. You don't really leave me with a means to communicate with you Black." Birch-Lock said leaning back in the chair.

"I thought I left if clear that I won't be helping out with these little cases anymore." Bella said taking a slow drag and holding it with her eyes closed for a moment enjoying the head rush.

"You know I don't control the assignments Black, that comes from higher up."

Bella blew the smoke at him not answering. "Higher up being my wife?"

Birch-Lock stirred slightly.

"Does that give you a sick pleasure that she selected me without her knowing?" She flicked ashes onto the table ignoring the ashtray he had provided.

"I asked if she was sure and she insisted."

"And I was put forward why? I am retired Birch, I have that option."

He shifted slightly and nodded, "You do and you are." He saw her eyes flick to the file, interest lay there he knew. "We always give our newly retired operatives the option to do more jobs if they would like."

"You can't afford me anymore Birch."

"Is it really about that Bella or is it the thrill, the rush." He asked trying to gauge her reaction. "The idea of killing with no consequence." Bella picked at the edge of the file for a moment and then ran her fingers through her curls while flicking ash again onto the table.

"You're the best operative we have Black I don't want you out of the field yet to be honest."

He was still met with silence. She stubbed the fag out onto the file burning a little hole into it. She opened it and looked at the information, her lips forming a thin line as her brow furrowed. She saw Hermione's neat handwriting, her fingers brushed over the words of her assessment of the situation. She turned the next page to look at the photographs of the man in question. "Why not just arrest him, why did she assess to have him killed?"

"Repeat offender, he's responsible for the deaths of three women that we know of that he trafficked into the magic ring. All three were either muggleborn or muggles. We suspect there are as many as eight."

"What lies beneath the souls of men only the wicked can see." Bella mumbled looking at the images of the three women.

"Why not ask the Aurors?" Bella said closing the file now, her hand resting on top.

"They arrest Black, they don't kill unless necessary. He needs to be eliminated before he kills again."

"I'll be in touch." Bella said standing up holding the file and then pushing it over towards Birch-Lock. "Don't hold out for my yes."

"Your fee?"

"I'll let you know."

* * *

"Where did you go?" Hermione asked when Bella came into the bedroom, her traveling cloak still on. Hermione could smell the tobacco and whiskey on her as she pulled the cloak off and hung it over the chair. It was nearly two in the morning.

"Out." Was Bella's tired response as she removed her shirt and tossed it over the cloak.

Hermione shifted slightly as she stood at the foot of the bed, her fingers slightly flexing and unflexing showing her nerves. "Where though?"

Bella fixed her in a gaze as she stood up straight, her eyes hard and cold. "Does it matter? You have Andromeda to keep you safe."

She looked at Bella confused for a moment, "I waited for you in the garden but you didn't come back." Her voice a bit more defensive than was needed.

"Sorry I was putting our child to bed, it took a few minutes. I don't just drop her in the crib and walk away." Her tone implied that Hermione would do something like that.

"Neither do I Bella." Hermione said her voice tight unsure of where Bella's anger was coming from. "Please I don't want to fight love." She swallowed, she was exhausted, she just wanted Bella in her arms.

"I'm not fighting with you Hermione." Bella emphasized her name as if it were a hex.

She bristled, she hated the way Bella said her name when she was cross. "Don't say my name like that."

"Sorry, how does Andy say it?" Bella spat back. Hermione stepped back slightly, her knees hitting the edge of the bed. Her fingers twisted together and her heart pounded. Bella was being unreasonable. She was drunk.

"Andy doesn't have anything to do with this." Hermione said gently. "I'm sorry I didn't wait for you to come back. I left a trail for you."

"Right to Andromeda's arms holding you." Her voice cold

"We-I- we're lovers Bella- You-" Hermione tried desperately to get Bella to see reason. "I didn't know she was there."

"You wanted her before that Pet. What does she give you that I don't? Does she make you feel safe? Does she make you feel like everything is alright?" Heat rose in her voice, it was spiraling and she couldn't stop. She watched herself throwing it away with both hands and couldn't pull it back again. Her mind screamed at her to stop, pleaded but she continued, she enjoyed the look on Hermione's face, enjoyed the sadness that was there. "Does she fuck you better than I do?"

"No-Bella stop please. You're drunk." Hermione said not taking the step towards her wife. She wanted to, her legs wouldn't move, they were cemented to the floor like lead weights. Her eyes stung with tears but she refused to let them fall.

Bella's lip sneered, she saw the tears. Good, she wanted to make her cry. She stepped forward against her screaming mind. Make her cry, make her tremble. Bella could hear her screams, could feel her writhe beneath her body as she dug the knife into her arm. She felt dizzy hearing the echos of Hermione's long ago screams. She wanted to make her scream again, she wanted to scare her. She could do it, she could throw her to the ground, she could hurt her. She could cut into her skin and watch her bleed again. She could feel her right now beneath her screaming for mercy.

"Bella-" Hermione's voice trembled, fear lay beneath the name, Hermione's heart felt as if it were breaking.

The world fell away for a moment, she was nothing but smoke and flames. A fire that consumed her soul and heart as she moved towards her wife, the fear in her lovers eyes as she pulled her into her arms. Each kiss burned into Bella's soul, fear hung in the room like the scent of sex; it came off Hermione in waves and made Bella kiss her harder. She smiled when she broke off the kiss, she longed for her wife, longed to push her onto the bed and force every scream from her. She ached to feel the fear from so long ago, she frowned and shook her head slightly. No she didn't want that, she didn't want Hermione afraid of her. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment to try to block out Hermione's long ago screams. Her hands slipped off Hermione's arms, slight red marks were left on her tender skin.

"No." Bella whispered and backed away. "No I can't do this. I can't do this again."

Hermione frowned unsure of what to do or who Bella was talking to.

"You were afraid of me. You're still afraid of me." Hurt reached Bella's eyes and met Hermione's confused ones. "I wouldn't hurt you again, I wouldn't. I wanted to, just now I wanted to but I didn't. I couldn't. You're still afraid of me." She shook her head, the ghosts screamed into her mind. "I would never hurt you. You don't believe me." Anger replaced the hurt. Hermione took a shuddering breath, she had never seen Bella like this. "Do you think I would hurt you again?"

She had thought Bella was going to hurt her, she was convinced of it moments before but now...

The silence hung there giving Bella her answer. Hermione's declaration of 'no' came a heartbeat too late. Bella exited the room leaving Hermione standing in the room alone looking at the spot Bella had just occupied. Fear had always been what laid beneath their relationship.


	13. Chapter 13

"Why did you come?" Bella's voice was cold, she sat in the library of Black Manor, the air thick with smoke. A bottle of wine sat on the desk empty, books lay on the floor, pages and covers torn off. Several were burning in the fire place as Bella flicked through another book ripping the pages out and flicking them down from her spot on the upper level.

"Why wouldn't I?" Andromeda asked picking through the broken glass to climb the stairs to join Bella, a fresh bottle covered in dust hidden in her robes. She revealed it as she sat.

Bella smirked, "I hated you just a moment ago but I can let that go. Nice choice." She said as she read the label. "I didn't see this one." She uncorked it and drank from the bottle before passing it back.

"Well no, this came from my house." Andy said producing a wine glass before thinking better of it and sending it sailing over the railing and taking a drink from the bottle like Bella. The shards of glass joined all the others on the floor creating a pleasant tinkling sound as it smashed.

"I admire your choices in wines little one." Bella said leaning her head back and closing her eyes.

The silence hung between them for so long that Andromeda thought Bella had fallen into drunken sleep until she spoke at last reaching into her pocket to produce a packet of fags and offered Andy one. Andy took it and lit it with her wand then did the same for Bella.

"She's afraid of me." Bella said taking a slow drag staring into space. "Always has been underneath all the love." She shook her head and sighed, her hands reaching up to hang off the railings.

"She is." Andromeda agreed sipping the wine before placing her fag back between her lips. "Terrified at the moment. More that you're never going to come home than what you would do to hurt her."

Bella looked away and stared at the expanse of the library. She took another long pull and flicked the ash off the railing side. She blew the smoke out after a moment and did not answer.

"She wanted you." Bella said bitterly and pulled the wine bottle back from Andy.

Andy frowned, "For what?"

Bella shrugged, "To fuck, to hold, who knows she wanted you and she found you. I told her to wait for me I was just putting the baby down." Bella drank again and let the wine roll over her tongue before swallowing slowly.

"I was just swimming Bella."

"You should have sent her back to me." Came Bella's bitter reply as she shoved the bottle back towards Andromeda.

Andromeda closed her eyes for a moment, her head rested against the railing. "Shall I leave then?" The question hung there, they both knew Andy meant should she leave the relationship, leave their home, leave their lives.

"They want me on another job. Pet chose me." Bella said reaching for the wine bottle. "She doesn't know it's me." She added quickly.

"You can't do it Love." Andy said swallowing slightly and then coughing. She was always crap at smoking. Bella slapped her on the back for a moment until she regained her breath.

"I accepted already." Bella flicked her fag off the balcony and took Andy's from her lips to finish it. "Might as well." She said her fingers tightened to white knuckles for a moment on the railing. "Afterall, underneath it's what I am. Besides, it's a right bastard I'm ending. No less than what he deserves."

"Please don't Bella." Andy whispered suddenly, her eyes wide as they were when she was a child and she was scared of a thunderstorm. "Please. It isn't right what they ask you to do."

Bella cocked her head for a moment and saw the little girl in her sister's face. "I'll be fine little one." She said lost in the memory of Andromeda crying against her when the storm raged around them. "Do I scare you Love?" Bella whispered, her heart pounded as she waited for the answer.

Andromeda shook her head, "Never."

Bella stood and pulled Andromeda to her feet. She pulled her through the library and the hallways. They ascended the stairs to Bella's old bedroom. The fireplace roared to life and the lights came on as they entered the room. The room still smelled like it had back when she had last used it. A baby's cradle sat unused in the corner of the room. Bella's eyes fell on it as Andromeda watched her. Carina's cradle, she had never allowed it to be removed from the room. She approached it and peered down, the little pillows and blankets were there still. The silver charm against the pillow. Bella swallowed and reached out to touch it, it warmed beneath her touch. She lifted it and pried the clasp to open the tiny locket. She smiled and looked over her shoulder at Andy. "She's still here." She closed it again and laid it on the pillow. She touched the lace of the blankets gently soothing them down and taking another breath.

Andy had been heartbroken to hear of the child's death. She wrote Bella over and over when it had happened but Bella never replied. It was the reason that Andy had become a mid-wife. They should have known Bella was weak they should have known her body couldn't handle a birth like that. All the signs that Bella's body couldn't, her build, her hips, all of that should have been considered. Yes Bella could have children but only if they took the baby, never for her to give birth any other way. It was their mother's fault that Carina died, she had insisted that no Black was ever cut to give birth. As if that lessened the magic somehow, stupid old fashioned Pure-blood ways. Bella had nearly died and had lost her child in the process.

"Is she?" Andy whispered coming over to stand by the crib with Bella. Her hand rested on the small of Bella's back.

"Her hair." Bella said her finger touching the locket again. "Rodolphus took one of her curls for me." Her voice was soft, "It was-it was the only kind thing he ever did for me, the whole thing around her he was kind." Bella's eyes shone brightly with tears. "He wouldn't let them take her from me. Mother tried but he charmed the cradle to stay here." She had never spoken this much about the child. "He gave me the locket with her hair and we laid it in her cradle." She brushed the lace again. "He kept a similar one around his neck. I buried him with it." Andy rubbed her hand slowly on Bella's back.

"Do you have one?" Andy asked in a gentle voice.

"That one is mine. I couldn't, I couldn't wear it so we just laid her down in the cradle together." Bella whispered, her voice broke slightly. "And I never held her again." She stepped back now from Andy's touch and from the cradle. She shook her head and swiped at a stray tear. "Come Little One, there are too many ghosts in this room." Bella retreated to the door. "Let the dead rest together."

* * *

Hermione woke alone, her pillow still damp with tears reminding her of the night before. She groaned and pulled away from the pillow to capture Bella's and press her face against it. The jasmine scent comforted her and made her feel safe. "Bella." She whispered as her eyes blurred with tears. Why hadn't she just stayed in the garden, why hadn't she just stayed put? She was angry at herself for not stopping Bella for not telling her that she wasn't afraid. She heard Tinkie talking to Maia in the nursery and the toddler happily babbling away at her.

She went downstairs to find the table laid out with breakfast and the chairs usually occupied with Andromeda and Bella empty. She had hoped they would be there, that Bella would look up at her and smile and it would all be alright.

She ate breakfast in silence, pressed a kiss to Maia's sweet curls and grabbed the nappy bag. It was Thursday which meant Maia went to her parent's house.

"Great work Black." Birch-Lock said smiling. "Both operatives agreed to the assignments."

Hermione nodded. "Number 3?"

"Took some convincing but came back to me late last night with a yes."

"You met with the operatives last night?" Hermione asked as he handed her the files with the notes from his meetings with the two operatives. She could smell smoke on the file for 3, a burn mark on the front of the folder implied they had used it as an ashtray.

"Yeah why?"

Hermione shrugged, "No reason." She glanced over the notes from Birch-Lock. "What's the fee for 3?" She noticed the line was blank.

"Ah." Birch-Lock sighed, "Sh-" He paused, "3 is a tricky on the fee. Usually we don't know until the job is over on that operative." He prayed Hermione hadn't caught the slip.

Hermione made a note on the parchment not giving any indication she had heard the fast slip. She pinched the bridge of her nose for a moment and pushed the files aside. Birch-Lock sat opposite.

"It's not an easy job Black. The first assignments are always the hardest."

She nodded still rubbing her head.

"No offense Black, just the last time you looked this bad you were suffering with Maia."

Hermione leaned her head back and studied him for a moment. "Just-" She sighed, "Marriage is hard sometimes."

Birch-Lock squirmed a little and felt guilty, Bella had not left happy and if Hermione's tired look was any indication his associates night had been just as unhappy. "It is." He agreed. "Just write up the notes from last night and head home. There's nothing to do until new cases come in or until the jobs are finished."

* * *

Hermione arrived home, Maia sleeping soundly from swimming most of the day at her parent's house. They were on again about Maia joining them on a holiday away, Hermione promised to speak to Bella about it and she would let them know. She had no intention of the discussion knowing it would end in Bella's refusal. Her wife had not been to her parents house since the whole fight around Maia being a muggle and Hermione's child. She was slightly surprised to see Bella through the window in the garden, a scowl on her face as she surveyed the flowers. Hermione's heart pounded in her chest as she turned from the window to take Maia up to the nursery.

She busied herself straightening the toys up that didn't need putting away. She rearranged several books before she finally exited the room. Bella was on the stairs, her hands and robes dirty from the garden, little bleeding cuts from the rose thorns scrapped into her arms. Bella said nothing as she brushed past Hermione in the hall to go wash up before dinner.

"Bella." Hermione said in a quiet voice, the witch paused with her hand on the doorknob. The silence hung for what felt like an eternity. Her fingers tightened around the cold brass fitting waiting, her eyes closed begging Hermione to say it, screaming for the words to rip through the air. There was nothing, Bella looked over her shoulder at the younger witch and sighed before opening the bathroom door and closing it again with a loud click.


	14. Chapter 14

Bella watched the man from the shadows, he was alert, much more alert than her last mark. He entered a house masked by a disillusionment charm, she had seen the slight shimmer on the building when she had arrived. Her instructions were clear, isolate him, kill him, then call for the Aurors to secure the women inside the building. It wasn't unheard of these magic rings, violent brothels more like it. Women given to werewolves, vampires, depravity. Promised the world and thrown to the wickedness of monsters. Usually muggleborns, sometimes a muggle or two snatched from the street if the clients preferred that taste. She knew of pure bloods who had been caught in these rings, usually when they were addicts to numbing potions.

She leaned against the brick of the building in the alleyway opposite. She was in for a long wait.

* * *

Hermione sat quietly at her desk, she felt sick to her stomach as she flipped through the file from operative 3. The body of the man had been brutalised, his anatomy cut off and shoved in his mouth. It had not been a quick in and out hit, the body was found kilometers from the brothel in a shack. The mans body chained and hanging from the ceiling. Broken bones with black and purple bruises ran along his arms, legs and ribs.

A detailed report that Hermione could not read was sealed in the folder. The report was for Birch-Lock only, though he told her he would let her read a transcript of it later. She handed the file over and watched Birch-Lock pale as he looked through the photographs. He glanced at Hermione for a second and shifted uncertainly, he licked his lips, Bella was sending him a message with this. He would not put her name forward again for job.

"Good work Black." He said closing the folder.

Hermione was lost in thought, did Tonks know what she was training to do. What the operatives were capable of doing? What kind of person would beat a man to death like this? She had to talk to Tonks, she couldn't do things like that, she wasn't evil like this. Hermione shivered, she had been curious about operative 3 before but now.

"Why good work?" She answered disgusted with herself. "Did you see what I did?"

Birch-Lock frowned, "The operative didn't follow orders Black, it happens. You didn't do this."

"I selected that operative based on their previous work." She shook her head.

"So refrain from selecting them again." Birch-Lock said slightly relieved that Hermione was put off by Bella's style on this one. He had to admit Bella had gone too far on this one. He would have to have a word with her when she came in to discuss her fee.

"So there is still nothing for the fee." Hermione said with a sigh.

"Well the operative will be in later to debrief we'll speak then."

Hermione's mouth fell slightly open, would she be in the debriefing? She imagined the operative being a large wizard with huge muscles, shaved head and tattoos all over his face.

"Don't get excited Black, I'll fill you in after I meet with them."

She didn't hide her disappointment at being left out of the debrief. "Come on Birch, I won't talk I'll just sit in the meeting."

"Nothing doing Black, I'd lose my head if I let you sit in on that meeting. Maybe next time but number 3 is too sensitive and I'd like to keep their trust without you being a rabid fangirl."

She started to argue she wasn't a rabid fangirl and far from it. She was horrified by the violent attack on the mark but the other half of her wanted to see the person who eliminated Ron's killer. To, she wasn't sure, thank him somehow for what he had done.

* * *

Andy was reading when she got home. Bella was gone again, they hadn't spoken more than five words to one another in three days. Hermione sighed and looked around the room before making herself a cup of tea. "Is Bella home?"

Andy looked up from her book, "No, she had to go into Hogsmeade for something or other said she would be back later on tonight. Said not to wait supper on her."

Hermione sighed and dipped her tea strainer into the hot water. "Andy..."

"Talk to her." Was Andy only reply before going back to her book. She was not going to get in the middle of this more than both of them had already pulled her in.

* * *

"Did you get my message?" Bella asked with a smirk flicking her wand over the file and then laughing at Birch-Lock's face. "I thought it would be clear enough for you but I wanted to check."

"You think I'm a dickhead."

Bella roared with laughter and clapped slowly for a moment. "You got it."

"Are you finished?" He asked annoyed sitting down in the chair across from her. "You took it too far Black. It was a simple job, you were selected for your ability to work neat and clean."

Bella mocked concern as she leaned forward on the table flicking through the pictures, she wasn't smoking this time which was rare for her. "I see, so I guess you're displeased with my success at eliminating the mark and the information I gathered from him about his associates which I believe has been passed on to the Aurors office if I'm not mistaken."

She smiled, she had him and they both knew it. Despite the violence that had played out in the shack Bella had completed the full assignment. "Now there is the matter of my fee."

* * *

 _The cold metal bit into her arms as she heard the clinks of the chains move when she tried to pull away. She was hanging from the ceiling, the werewolf paced below looking at her with hungry eyes. She heard voices behind her but she couldn't turn around to see them. The voices mocked her, she heard the jeering and laughing as she cried. She begged to be released from the chains but the voices refused. She heard the growl beneath her, a flash of brown fur and snaps of powerful jaws. Her heart pounded, she couldn't get away, she tried so hard. Her wand was gone, snapped on the ground below her. Wandless, wandless, she had to-she had to remember what to do. She cried, she cried for Bellatrix to save her. She begged for Andromeda to swoop in. The chains broke and she was falling down towards the mouth of the werewolf. "Bella!" She screamed in terror._

Hands shook her awake, jasmine and roses surrounded her as she was pulled from the mouth of the werewolf who just missed her leg as she was pulled up and out of sleep. Dark curls covered her face as she pushed herself closer to the scent that meant safety. Her whole body curled into the arms as she shook. "He tried to eat me." She whispered against the scent. The hands soothed her silently as they pulled the blankets up around her cold clammy body.

"Shhhh." The gentle whisper in the darkness, "It's alright it was just a dream."

"Don't let him eat me." She was still fading in between the dream and reality.

"Never Pet." Bella answered pressing a soft kiss to Hermione's head as they laid back onto the pillows.

"Keep me safe." She said pressing her eyes shut against the safe darkness of Bella's curls over her face.

"Always."

Hermione sighed and fell back into sleep, the dream brighter and full of flowers, Bella's arms around her even in dreams. Soft kisses punctuated her mind and fell onto her lips even in the deepest of sleep.

"Bella." Hermione said coming into the bedroom the next morning, Bella looked up from the bed, a book of runes in her lap and parchment with a quill next to her. Her black eyes fixed onto Hermione's lighter ones with a soft sigh.

"Yes Pet?" She asked, her eyes soft as she felt her heart racing when Hermione neared the bed.

Hermione found she couldn't speak, Bella pushed the book aside along with the quill and parchment. She pulled the blanket back and held her hand out, "Come."


	15. Chapter 15

**The dreaded writers block has struck. I am trying to push through it now all the school stuff is done for the term which means holiday for a few weeks. For those following 'Always' I apologise I have hit a wall there that might have a crack or two in the next few days so I can write there. As always thank you to everyone for the reviews and messages. You guys rock!**

* * *

"So you're a witch like Hermione?" The brown hair girl asked sitting across from Bella in the garden. There was a definate family resemblance between Hermione and her cousin Edith. Despite despising Hermione's father, Bella found herself liking the muggle sitting in front of her. Edith was sweet like Hermione and seemed intrigued by all things magical.

"A little different but yes a witch." Bella said stirring her tea slowly. Edith looked at the tattoo on Bella's neck trying to make sense of the word or numbers or symbols. Bella tilted forward so she could see it clearly. "It's a prisoner tattoo. It's in runes." She explained enjoying the shock on Edith's face. "I was in prison for a while."

Edith looked positively scandalised at Bella's words. "What were you in prison for?" She asked nearly spilling her own tea.

Hermione rejoined the table in the tiny muggle cafe, the only one Bella agreed to go to. She hated the muggle world and most things muggle.

"Murder and torture." Bella answered honestly breaking off a piece of her biscuit to dip into her tea and give to Maia.

Hermione cleared her throat and sat down giving her cousin a smile. Edith's eyes were now wide in shock and then she laughed, "Oh you're teasing." She said shaking her head and sipping her tea.

Bella glanced at Hermione confused and Hermione squeezed her knee. "Not teasing, but I'm reformed. I promise." The girl stopped laughing and stared at Bella, then Hermione and then the baby. She swallowed and met Bella's eyes again.

Bella shifted the conversation, "So when is the wedding?"

* * *

"She asked me about my tattoo there wasn't much I could say." Bella said when they arrived back at the cottage. "Besides she seemed alright with it."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "I assure you she isn't fine with it. She is on the phone right now telling all my relatives that I've married a convict who murdered and tortured people and is covered in tattoos."

"But you did marry a convict who murdered and tortured people and who does in fact have lots of tattoos." Bella grinned cheekily, "She won't be lying on that front still, her problem not yours or mine." Bella said simply flicking through the post. A letter from Birch-Lock laid there and she frowned swearing under her breath.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked glancing over her shoulder. Seeing nothing on the envelope.

"Trash." Bella said crumbling the envelope but not throwing it away. She grabbed a magazine from the post and headed for the stairs. "I'm going to go lay down."

Hermione frowned and leaned against the counter watching her go. It hadn't been the same since they had fought. It made Hermione ache inside as if they hadn't really made up from the fight. There was something underneath it all and she couldn't grasp it.

Bella watched Hermione go into the garden before she went into the closet. She pushed through the charm and entered the windowless room. Tearing open the envelope she read the contents and sighed. They were never going to release her from this, it was a prison of her own making. She gathered the silvery contents of the pensieve back into the phial and put it into the case.

* * *

"How do you do it?" Tonks asked, she had come to the cottage after the training session that night. Her heart heavy with what she was preparing to do even now in the earliest stages of orientation.

"Do what?" Bella asked pouring Tonks some tea, the baby bump beginning to show through the robes slightly now. Dora was a beautifully pregnant witch like Hermione had been.

"I know you work for them. Fairchild told me, said my accuracy runs in the family. I put two and two together which led me to you. Does Hermione know?"

Bella added some sugar to Dora's tea ignoring her still and then Tonks realised she couldn't speak about it.

"You're still active." Tonks said in an awed whisper.

* * *

Hermione fell again into a fretful sleep, smoke surrounded her and blinded her as she tried to move through the house. She could hear Bella screaming but she couldn't reach her. She found her in the nursery cradling Maia and as Hermione reached out to them the floor fell away into a pit of flames that sought to devour them. She was falling into the flames, her hands reaching up as Bella tried to grab her, Maia slipped from Bella's hands and Hermione woke with a cry. She was drenched in sweat, her breath ragged and her throat dry. She looked at the side table for water but there was none.

Hermione padded on bare feet down the stairs to the kitchen, Tonks was sitting talking to Bellatrix in hushed tones. She paused at the kitchen doorway surprised to see Tonks sitting there, her old friend looked exhausted and scared.

"Hi Pet." Bella said turning to look at Hermione and she paused in her smile, "What's the matter?" She said holding her arms out as Hermione propelled herself forward to her lovers arms.

"Bad dream." She said in a hoarse voice, Bella handed her a glass of water from the table as she guided Hermione to her lap. She brushed back Hermione's curls to touch her face checking for a fever and frowned when she discovered one.

"You're both working yourselves sick." Bella chided them as Hermione ducked her head into Bella's neck for a moment, her shirt damp from sweat so that she shivered against Bella's warmth. "Baby." She said, her voice concerned feeling Hermione's shirt. "You're not well." she felt her head again.

"I should be going." Tonks replied, her eyes tired and haunted.

"No stay, I'll just give her a potion and put her back to bed."

"No it's fine, I need to go, I'm off tomorrow I'll come around then." Tonks assured her and went to the fireplace to head home. Bella nodded as Tonks disappeared into the green flames.

"Now, Pet. What is going on with you?" She said moving Hermione so she could look at her more clearly. She frowned when she saw how pale Hermione appeared. "Come we need to get you out of these sweaty clothes."

* * *

Bella woke Andromeda up after the third changing of the sheets and Hermione's nightgown.

"She's drenched." Andromeda said feeling the clothes and then Hermione's head.

"I gave her fever reducing potions but it doesn't stay in her system." Bella said pouring Hermione another glass of water.

"Well no Love she's muggleborn. You always have to change it when dealing with a muggle born." Andy explained taking the potions away from Bella and walking out of the room. "Stay with her I need to go to Diagon Alley, we don't have what we need for muggleborns."

Bella watched Hermione shiver under the blankets, she crawled in next to her and Hermione curled as close to Bella as she could to get warm. "Bella." Hermione whispered in the light of early morning.

"Yes Pet?"

"I'm sorry." She said, tears in her eyes, "I'm sorry for what I didn't say." Her throat was tight.

"Hush now." Bella said knowing what Hermione meant. The fight was over, it was forgiven, why was she bringing it now?

She felt Hermione's fever spiking, her fingers tracing the dark mark on Bella's arm. "Did you like it?" She asked, she had asked this so many times. Bella kissed her hair.

"I did until I didn't." Was always Bella's answer.

"Would you do it again?" Hermione asked moving closer. This she had never asked before.

"If it led me to you, yes." Bella said pulling the covers up around them tighter.

"Can I have your wand?" Hermione asked, her eyes getting heavy as she moaned slightly from the fever. Her bones felt as if they were on fire, her skin felt bruised.

Bella laughed gently and handed Hermione the wand, her fingers moved along the runes at the base. "What does it say?" She whispered laying the wand against Bella's chest, her fingers closed around the handle.

She kissed Hermione's head again and pointed out the runes, "To the bearer belongs the souls."

Hermione's fingers closed around it again, her fingers tightened against it as she fell back to sleep. "My soul is yours." She whispered against Bella's neck.

* * *

Hermione suffered for days, the healers came from St. Mungo's twice finally declaring her on the mend. Maia had been removed from the house to Narcissa's to keep her from also contracting the fever. It was confirmed that Hermione had suffered from a bout of goblin fever, no doubt carried home on Bella's robes from her latest mark at the brothel. Bella felt terrible, she knew where the sickness had come from though she acted as if she didn't when the healers questioned where Hermione had been or what she had been exposed to. Bella burned the cloak and all the other things she had been wearing from that trip. She watched Hermione sleeping, finally resting after a week of agonising fevers and sleepless nights.

* * *

She felt Bella get off the bed late one night, the weight shifted and she opened her eyes to peer through the lashes. Bella disappeared into the closet, Hermione frowned when Bella did not return. It was not a large closet, barely a walk-in that did not need the length that Bella stayed there. She watched the clock tick the time, maybe she had fallen asleep and Bella had gone downstairs. She closed her eyes, the sound of the closet opening woke her twenty minutes later when Bella left the closet and returned to the bed. Hermione wondered about the closet until she finally drifted off to sleep again surrounded by Bella's strong arms.

* * *

Hermione waited until Bella was busy in the garden the next morning. She watched for a moment for Bella to become engrossed in the weed pulling before she entered the closet. She looked around the small room confused. "Must be enchanted." Hermione mumbled to herself as she looked at the carpet and tapped her wand using a revealio charm. Nothing happened, she tapped the wall in several places and frowned. She tapped it again and listened, of course Bella would use something that would repel something as simple as revealio. She chewed her lip thinking, Diagon Alley was simply tapping the brick, the platform you simply walked into the barrier. She stepped towards the wall and nothing happened. She frowned and tapped her wand again, she heard Bella coming up the stairs and backed quickly out of the closet. She stood at the desk looking at a book when Bella walked in.

"You shouldn't be up and about yet Pet, you're still so weak." Bella said her hands covered in dirt. How long had Hermione been in the closet trying to find Bella's secret, ten minutes, twenty, had to have been at least thirty for Bella to already be back. She rubbed her head.

"Lay down Pet you're not well." Bella said coming over to her and leading her back to the bed and pouring her some water. "I'll have Tinkie bring you up some lunch after I've bathed. Just sleep now." She laid her wand on the nightstand and handed Hermione the glass of water. Hermione eyed the wand, she needed it but Bella picked it back up and headed to the bathroom. The witch and her wand were never parted.


	16. Chapter 16

Hermione waited until Bella had fallen asleep, her eyes fell on the wand, she slipped out of the bed silently and walked around the edge of the bed. She checked Bella again before she reached for her wand, she waited for Bella to wake, to grab her and rip the wand from her fingertips. She forgot to breathe as her fingers closed around the warm wood, the wand instantly glowing when she touched it.

"Put it back Pet." Bella said not opening her eyes as she rolled over to face away from the night stand where Hermione laid the wand back onto its holder.

"How-"

Bella laughed lightly, "Come back to bed and leave my wand, you've an unnatural affection for it. I might get jealous."

Hermione sighed quietly and retreated back to her side of the bed, she had to get her hands on the wand. Bella pulled her in and pressed a kiss to her neck. "We'll play later Pet, it's too late tonight." She pressed another kiss and fell back asleep. Hermione eyes fixated on the wand that teased her just out of reach.

* * *

Hermione sipped her water looking at Tonks. The former Auror's baby bump had become more pronounced in the last two weeks as they sat in the cafeteria in the Ministy having lunch.

"You know I can't give you details Hermione." Tonks said leaning back and resting her hands on the bump. "I can only say it's intense."

"Do you know what they are requiring?" Hermione said frowning and picking at her sandwich.

"I do but, well it's for the greater good isn't it? Like if we could stop the next Voldemort from rising. That's why this whole group started, if they had been around back when he was still weak..." Tonks let it hang there, both women drifting into thoughts of what life had been without Tom Riddle becoming Lord Voldemort.

Hermione shifted slightly for a second, "Tonks."

Tonks swallowed and braced herself, she wouldn't lie to Hermione but she wouldn't volunteer the information either about Bella's adventures of late.

"I need your help." Hermione said chewing her lip. It was obvious after a week of trying she wasn't going to get her hands on Bella's wand and Bella was getting rather irritated with Hermione's fascination with it.

"Alright with what, are we stealing files again?" She winked and leaned forward ready for an adventure that wouldn't get either one killed.

"No we're...well we're looking for something and I think I need a Black to help me." Hermione had been reading up on concealment charms and if it was a blood charm she was going to need Tonks.

Tonks raised an eyebrow, "Alright, what is it then if you need a Black so badly why not have Bella?"

Hermione shifted again, "I can't...well it's about her. I-I think she's hiding something from me."

Tonks stared for a moment before looking down at the table top and Hermione's untouched sandwich. "What do you think she's hiding?" Tonks said grabbing a crisp quickly and crunching it from Hermione's plate.

"That's just it, I don't know. I think it's a room or a thing or something. There is something upstairs, in our bedroom. I tried to get her wand but, well that didn't work."

"Why in Merlin's name did you think her wand would work for you?" Tonks asked looking perplexed. "You do understand how wands work don't you?"

"She uses mine." Hermione said slightly confused.

"Well she's Bellatrix Black isn't she. She can use anyone's wand she's fucking powerful enough to but us, me and you, her wand would never yield to us. We're not strong enough for her wand. It's not a toy Hermione. Her wand is-" Tonks shivered slightly, "You'd have to duel her for it and no offense but, well the only one who ever bested her in a duel was Voldemort."

"Yeah I know my wife is bloody brilliant and her wand is unyielding to everyone but her, we can still do it without the wand."

"Oh? Do tell."

Hermione leaned forward and explained to Tonks while she ate her sandwich about how they were going to go about finding the concealment.

* * *

Hermione landed soundlessly in the bedroom and peered around. Bella's wand was not on the table and Andy was not in her room. She slipped off her shoes and cast a silencing spell at her feet as she crept into the hallway and down the stairs. A quick look around revealed an empty kitchen and living room. She saw Bella moving slowly in the garden, prowling and waiting for Hermione to arrive. She dropped to her knees and crept along, she didn't trust herself to apparate and hit the way Bella could, no she had to wait her out to get a clear shot. Bella stopped moving at once and turned, a smile on her lips. Hermione stayed still and held her breath. She braced herself, the shield charm dancing on her fingertips. Bella was coming, the spell moved silently and Hermione threw up her shield repealing it. She spun on the spot and landed in the garden, her knee pouring blood from the slight splenching. She healed it quickly and ducked behind the rose bushes. She saw the trail of blood and swore loudly, Andromeda slammed into her with a boil hex to her hand that made a shield spell impossible.

"Strike one." She called before she disappeared in a white puff of smoke.

It happened by chance really, Hermione saw the flash of black hair running and she hurled the curse. It hit hard into Bella's back tearing her dress and her back open. Bella screamed and gasped for breath. Hermione was so shocked she had hit her wife that she dropped her wand and couldn't defend herself when Bella sent a stunner for her legs crippling her. Hermione ended the spell quickly and ran for Bella who sent another spell cursing at her, Hermione ducked it and sent a stinging jinx hitting Bella as she tried to roll away. The pain in her back keeping her solidly in place. One more hit, one more hit and Hermione would win. She raised her wand and then felt the vinewand pull from her fingertips and out to Andromeda's outstretched hand before she felt the white hot lash wrap around her legs tripping her and cutting her as she fell meters from Bella who laughed. "Nice form Pet." Bella remarked before passing out.

* * *

Bella opened her eyes to Andromeda and Hermione standing over her.

"Did you win?" She asked looking at Hermione who shook her head, "Andromeda disarmed me."

"Fuck." Bella coughed and winced, the new skin was still tender from where Andromeda had closed the wound. "Next time Pet."

"I'm sorry." Hermione whispered coming to Bella's side and laying her head on the pillow next to her wife.

Bella laughed and pulled Hermione to her lips for a deep kiss. "I'm so proud of you baby." She said before she kissed her, her fingers wrapped into Hermione's hair.

Andy laughed and checked Bella's back again, "Nice job Angel." She said pressing against the skin to Bella's wincing. "You nearly had us."

Hermione flushed slightly as Bella kissed her again and then turned and pressed her lips to Andromeda's.

* * *

The room was filled with the rustling of clothes and soft moans, Andromeda's lips captured Hermione's as Bella pulled them down to the bed, her fingers scratching lines across both women's backs as she watched them kiss. She sucked first on Hermione's neck and then Andromeda's feeling her sisters fingers dig into her hip, her lips still on Hermione's. A soft moan escaped Hermione's lips as she broke the kiss to find Bella's mouth, the moment their lips touched Andromeda's fingers slipped between Hermione's legs eliciting another moan from the young witch. Bella pulled Andromeda closer and pushed her to kiss Hermione again. Her mouth found Andromeda's sex as she moved her tongue slowly through her folds, Andromeda's fingers pushed deeply into Hermione matching Bella's speed against her own pleasure. Bella's mouth crashed onto Hermione's as she came, the scream lost in the kiss, the names pushed away in the moans as the lovers collapsed into each other spent and panting. They stayed wrapped up in each other, lazy kisses on one another's skin and breasts, soft little moans from Hermione aroused the pair to press harder kisses to her skin. "Such a good little baby." Bella whispered.

* * *

Tonks met Hermione downstairs, Bella and Andy had taken Teddy and Maia swimming in the hot springs under the impression that Tonks and Hermione would be along later after they made a dash to Diagon Alley for some books they had ordered. Hermione waited until the women were out of sight of the garden before she headed up the stairs with Tonks.

"Ok so we have what an hour tops?" Hermione asked watching her wife and lover disappear into the woods from the bedroom window.

Tonks nodded opening the closet door, "I'd say yeah before they expect us." She pushed the cloaks and robes aside. "This really isn't a big closet Hermione are you sure?"

"I've seen her go in here in the middle of the night and she stays in there for ages, I know there's something in here Tonks." Hermione was sure of herself. Tonks nodded and took out her wand. She touched against the walls of the closet, her Auror training enabled her to perform magic that could reveal concealment.

It took nearly the entire hour for Tonks to hit on an enchantment. "Here." She said touching the back wall of the closet. Hermione stepped up beside her as Tonks tapped it again revealing the glowing door.

"How do we get in?" Hermione said stepping up to the enchantment.

Tonks tried a number of spells but nothing opened the enchanted door.

"Blood?" Hermione asked trying to see if there were any runes near the top of bottom of the door.

"We're out of time Hermione." Tonks said dropping her wand with a sigh almost of relief. Blood magic was a vile business at times and rather rude and elitist. "Besides, I'm a half blood Hermione or well a 3/4th blood, it might require a pure blood to get into it."

Hermione traced her hand where the opening had appeared, "Why would she have this?" Hermione asked unsure of how to feel about knowing there was something so hidden in their home.

"Safe room maybe, during the wars lots of people had them."

Hermione nodded as they exited the closet.

"Look, I'm sure she has her reasons, maybe it makes her feel safe you know? Like being in prison for so long, maybe it's like a cell or something."

Hermione stared at Tonks dumbfounded as they pushed the robes and cloaks back in place. She did not comment as they left the bedroom and met Bella and Andromeda coming into the garden.

"Back so soon we were just coming to join you." Tonks said not meeting their eyes.

"They were tired already, not a great day for a swim I guess." Bella said, a sleeping Maia nestled into her neck. "Did you get the books you needed?" She asked looking at Hermione, "Pet?" She asked again when Hermione didn't answer.

"What? Yes, the books, no- uh no they didn't have them yet." Hermione said distractedly, her head still up in the bedroom.

"Sorry Pet I know you were looking forward to a nice weekend curled up with your new books." Bella said tucking some of Hermione's hair behind her ear. She brushed her lips against Hermione quickly and jostled Maia gently to shift her to her other side. "I'm just going to go put her down alright then we'll have lunch."

Hermione nodded, her eyes met Tonks behind the backs of the two women, Tonks reaction was one of fury shaking her head at Hermione and frowning.

"What do we do?" Hermione mouth, Tonks held her hands out in exasperation.

"Be cool." She mouthed back as Andromeda turned to look at them for a moment before going up the stairs. Her eyes moved from Tonks to Hermione, she smirked and raised an eyebrow before following Bella.

"She knows we're up to something." Hermione whispered desperately.

"Yeah no shite you're an awful liar." Tonks said grabbing plates for lunch. "Pull it together before they get back down here."

* * *

Bella watched Hermione throughout the lunch, several times she reached over to feel her head for any signs of the goblin fever returning. Hermione pressed a kiss to her palm and told her to stop fussing so much. She noted how on edge Hermione seemed to be as Tonks pressed her foot down onto Hermione's under the table before giving her a meaningful glare. Hermione cleared her throat and thanked Andromeda for bringing in the cheese and fruit tray to the table.

That afternoon Harry joined them and gave Teddy lessons on his new toy broomstick. The couple then stayed on for supper and cake before curling up chatting with Andromeda until nearly ten. All the baby planning excitement, Hermione pushed the closet out of her mind for now, perhaps it was a safety room. Something Bella needed to feel safe, it made sense. She laid back in Bella's arms, soft little kisses soothed her worries as her eyes grew heavy. She loved Bella's scent, it surrounded her and lulled her into warm dreams of love and babies.

* * *

Hermione woke slightly and heard the angry whispers, she lay perfectly still listening to what was being said.

"They were in here Andy I know it." Bella hissed.

"Keep your voice down do you want to wake her up?" Andy said in a furious whisper. "You're paranoid Bella."

"I'm not paranoid Andy, someone has been in here tampering with the seal trying to get in."

"How do you know?" Andy asked moving out of the closet followed by Bella.

"I can feel when someone's touched my enchantments." Bella said as they approached the bed.


	17. Chapter 17

**Thank you guys for the PMs and reviews and messages of encouragement. Always should have a new chapter up by the end of today :)**

* * *

"Wakey wakey Pet." Bella hissed, her wand pointed at Hermione when she rolled over, her eyes opened wide at the lit wand tip.

"What the bloody hell?" She asked reaching for her own wand only to see it balanced in Andromeda's fingers. She was aware of the tension in the room as the two sets of black eyes stared at her, two wands trained on her, she swallowed hard unsure of what to do or say.

"Ah ah little one." Bella said glaring at her

"Bella?" Hermione said trying to shift in the bed but the wand came closer and she froze.

"We're going to ask you some questions," Bella said "And you better pray to Merlin that you answer them correctly or it will be the last words you ever speak."

"What is the password for the blood wards?" Andromeda asked looking into Hermione's tear filled eyes.

"I-" she shook all over, "I-" She cast around in her memory to find the answer, "Blood of my blood I will ke-keep y-your secrets." She could barely talk.

Andromeda didn't lower the wand but she glanced at Bella who was regarding the witch crying on the bed. "They could have taken that memory from her." Bella responded.

"Your turn then, I'm satisfied." Andromeda said but her wand was still pointed to do damage.

"When did you know you loved me?" Bella said, Hermione could see her hand shake slightly as she asked the question.

"The night I wrote your pardon. I think even before that to be honest but- but I told you that when-the first time we- on our first Christmas." Hermione didn't risk wiping her tears away.

Bella lowered the wand and pulled Hermione into her arms. The younger witch sobbed and shook, her hands pushed and tried to fight Bella off but Bella refused to let her go. "Love, love I'm so sorry we had to be sure. We had to be sure someone hadn't hurt you. We had to be sure you were you." Bella said pressing her lips to Hermione's hair and holding her tighter. "I had to make sure you were you. Why would you touch my enchantments baby? Why would you do that?" She asked aching all over and pushing back her lover's hair. "I could have hurt you, I could have killed you. Don't don't ever do that."

Hermione continued to tremble, Andromeda embraced her from behind trying to make the trembling stop. "You- you were-"

"Shhh love." Andromeda whispered, "We had to be sure baby girl." Hermione was pressed between the two of them as they tried to soothe her sobs as she trembled.

Hermione wrapped her arms around Bella still shaking, Bella frowned at Andromeda and pulled them in tighter to her embrace. "Why did you touch my enchantments love?" Bella asked again when she felt Hermione's trembles begin to fade slightly.

"I- I don't know." Hermione said still very shaken up as Bella continued giving her soft kisses and cuddles to calm her. "Why- why did you enchant it?" She whispered curling in tighter to Bella's arms, her fingers wrapping into Bella's hair so she could hide in the safety of her curls.

She felt Bella's heart speed up from the question and heard her sigh, "To keep us safe love."

"From what?" Hermione asked leaning back a little into Andromeda's embrace to look up at Bella's face. Tonks must have been right, it must be a safe room but why wouldn't Bella tell her there was a safe room in the house?

"From me my beautiful girl." Bella said not meeting her eyes.

* * *

Bella led Hermione from the bed to the closet, her wand opened the door and Hermione looked perplexed by the tiny windowless room. She saw the case and pensieve and nothing else.

"What is this?" Hermione asked turning around in the room, her fingers resting on the case. Bella placed her hand on it not allowing her to open it.

"It's just a room Pet."

Hermione swallowed and cast her eyes down to the case where her and Bella's hands rested. "A room you protect with enchantments that-" She almost said 'that you nearly killed me over' but she didn't have to, she saw the look on Bella's face. She assumed the case held phials of memories or else there wouldn't be a pensieve next to it.

"That keep you safe." Andromeda said crossing her arms over her chest, Hermione's wand still in her grasp. "Some things are better left unseen Angel." There was a coldness in Andromeda's voice that Hermione had never heard before. "Come, we've had enough of a fright for one night." She said holding out her hand to Hermione, it was not a request. She hesitated trying to look at Bella. "Let her be." Andromeda said, her voice slightly more gentle to coax Hermione from the room.

"Bella-" Hermione whispered but to no avail, she knew Bella's demons were too loud to let her hear Hermione's voice.

Bella did not follow them out of the tiny room, she rather stood staring down into the clear liquid of the pensieve, her fingers tightened on the case until her knuckles turned white. She fought the screams as they invaded her mind. She felt her own throat grow hoarse from the roar that tore from it, her hands seizing the case and slamming it against the furthest wall, the silvery liquid dripped from the now split case on the ground. She left the enchanted room, the wall sealing behind her. She paused in the doorway to look at the two women sitting on the bed, her eyes looking around the room for an instant as if she were a cornered animal.

She approached the bed and grabbed Hermione's hand pulling her to her feet. Hermione let out a cry of surprise to be jerked so abrutply up from the safety of Andromeda's embrace. "Bella." Andromeda began but Bella gave her a warning look and her sister refrained from saying more.

She pulled Hermione silently behind her, her hand wrapped around both of Hermione's wrists forcing the younger girl to keep up. "Wh-where are we going?" Hermione asked, she had left her wand with Andromeda and couldn't summon it from this far.

Bella did not answer as she pulled Hermione into her arms tightly and in a loud crack Hermione was surrounded with black smoke, her body pressed in tightly to Bella's as they apparated to a destination only known to Bella.

* * *

They landed with a slight stumble outside of Black Manor, Hermione had only ever been to the home a handful of times. The sheer size of her wife's childhood home made the Malfoy Manor look as cozy as the cottage they currently lived in. Bella did not release Hermione's hands as they approached the tall wood and iron doors. Bella did not have to say or do anything, the doors simply parted for her as the two women entered the entryway.

The house elves had cleaned up from Bella's last trip to the home, Hermione froze when she heard a scream move through the stillness of the house. Bella smirked at her, "It's just a ghoul Pet." she said, her eyes shining slightly as she felt the fear moving off Hermione's body.

"Why are we here?" Hermione asked pulling herself in closer to Bella's grip on her hands.

"To talk." Bella responded seeming to try to decide where to take Hermione in the house. "We haven't talked in so long Pet." She said tracing a finger over Hermione's cheek. "Come." She led Hermione down the hallway, gas lights flared into life as they stepped, the portraits whispered as they walked along. Several portraits of Bella's mother screeched about Bella being a blood traitor and Hermione being filth. Bella ignored them and led her on until they arrived in a study, the room was thankfully vacant of portraits that spoke. The fireplace roared to life as Bella sat down on the edge of a mammoth desk, Hermione could feel the dark magic in the room, she swallowed and shivered as the firelight cast shadows of horned animals onto the walls.

"My father enjoyed hunting." Bella explained indicating the dragon's head that's shadow had drawn her wife's attention. "That one nearly took his life. Pity it didn't, only left him with a nasty scar and a foul temper." Hermione peered at the dragon, the scales seemed to dance iridescent in the firelight.

"It's beautiful." She said reaching her hand out to touch the tip of the horn, Bella watched her for a moment, being in the house seemed to have a calming effect on the dark witch. "It's sad he killed it though." Bella nodded in agreement, she had never seen animals as equal but she still hated to see them hunted.

Hermione continued to look around the room before coming to Bella at the desk, "So, little one." Bella said pulling Hermione closer, "Let's talk hmm?"

Hermione curled into Bella's arms and relaxed to feel Bella's chin rest on her head. "I'm sorry I should have asked, about the enchantments."

Bella nodded against her hair, "So that's why you've been trying to sneak off with my wand. Clever girl." She said squeezing Hermione a little closer.

"Why are you protecting me from you?" Hermione asked quietly without looking up, her fingers traced slowly along Bella's pendant. The bird's beak leaving a sharp red point on Hermione's finger.

"Why wouldn't I? I scare you Pet when I don't have control. It's why- It's why I have never asked Andromeda to leave. She is strong enough to keep you safe if-" Bella's voice was tight, "What if I had hurt you that night the way I wanted to?" Her voice was still slightly strangled.

"But you didn't." Hermione said to reassure her. "You wouldn't hurt me."

"I was so angry." Bella said, her fingers tightened slightly on Hermione's arms, "I nearly-" She moved her hands away realising that she had left marks on the pale flesh. "You're mine." She said looking up finally into Hermione's eyes. She allowed Hermione to see what she wanted to do, what she would have done if she hadn't been able to pull back. Hermione made a small sound of surprise at the images playing in her mind, the screams that pushed into her thoughts from Bella's memories. She felt Bella's need to consume her until there was nothing left, the overwhelming feeling of being so completely Bella's that there wasn't even room for children. She saw the darkness at the edges of Bella's thoughts, what lurked just beneath the surface, the anger that felt like heat through her body all the time. "I wanted you to stay in the garden I-" Bella's words were cut off by Hermione's kiss.


	18. Chapter 18

Hermione let out a strangled cry against Bella's hand as they lay on the floor of the study in Black Manor. The stillness of the house was invaded by their moans and cries of pleasure. "Say you're mine." Bella panted in her ear, her fingers leaving Hermione just on the edge of her explosion.

"I- I'm yours, forever Bella." She hissed out pushing hard against the fingers that were filling her. Bella grinned like a wolf and twisted her fingers slightly to send Hermione over the edge of passion until all she could do was chant Bella's name like a prayer of lust. Their mouths crashed together in a delicate battle as Hermione's head spun from Bella's touches.

"Harder?" Bella whispered feeling as Hermione rocked harder to gain purchase again against her fingers.

"Please, oh my love." Hermione gasped as Bella leaned down to thrust deeper inside her lover, she loved the feeling of Hermione around her fingers, the way she cried out and flushed with lust. With each thrust Bella's teeth bit into her lover, soft bruises and bites littered Hermione's perfect skin.

The final cry came with a sobbing gasp behind it. Hermione trembled in Bella's arms, "Oh my beautiful girl." Bella whispered, her mouth against Hermione's, "My beautiful precious girl." She kissed away the trembles and held her bare lover to her tightly stroking back her hair. "Promise me something?" She whispered.

Hermione nodded against her lover's neck, her lips pressing soft kisses against Bella's prison tattoo. "Anything."

"You'll go with me to the goddess on Beltane, to the statue."

"Yes." Hermione breathed against Bella's neck a smile pressed on her lips. She wanted to go there from the moment Andromeda had taken her there. "Will we stay the whole night there?" She asked curling in a little and kissing against her tattoo again. The mark, like all of Bella's tattoos seemed more sensitive than the unmarked portions of her lover's body. Hermione's mind went to their Beltane bed and the potions and Bella becoming the stag with the spell.

Bella laughed gently as she read Hermione's mind. "Little one, don't worry I'll worship your body at the feet of the goddess you won't need our Beltane bed for that." Hermione melted at the words as she pulled Bella's hand from her hair to rest between her thighs.

They stayed talking into the early hours of the morning. Bella conjuring a mess of pillows and blankets for them to lay on the study floor with. She gazed at the sleeping form of her young wife, her mouth kissing slowly along her stomach and breasts as the sun rose. "Let me have you once more before we leave this place." Bella whispered when Hermione stirred slightly from the gentle touches of Bella's fingers and lips. Before Hermione could do more than smile Bella was on her, her mouth slowly moving down her body to let her tongue move slowly across her lover's delicate opening. Hermione was lost in the intimate kiss of Bella's tongue against her sex.

* * *

Hermione hummed softly to herself, she smiled feeling the small sore spots from Bella's bites the previous night. Her head utterly swimming with the thoughts of what she would do to Bella that night, the taste of her lover playing over and over again in her mind. She ached to be home now, to feel Bella surround her, she could smell the jasmine and lavender on her robes from their long hug that morning. She sighed happily and didn't mind when Birch-Lock walked into her office and slapped down four files.

"Morning Black, you look very happy on this rainy morning." He said opening the file on top.

"I am." Hermione said leaning back in her chair and smiling at him before flushing slightly and looking at the files. "Did you get the fee for operative 3 yet."

"I did and it's filed away already." Birch-Lock said not looking up at her as he flicked to the photograph in the first folder.

"What did they charge?" Hermione asked curious as always where 3 was involved.

"Ah, can't reveal that. Sorry."

"What the hell?" Hermione said annoyed.

"Just kidding, they wanted a donation made to the muggle-born educational fund."

"Wow, that's, unexpected." Hermione said looking at Birch-Lock with complete surprise. "Is that normal?" She had known several muggle born students at Hogwarts who benefited from that fund to support their studies and help them get a leg up in the magical world after graduation.

"Normal for that operative or normal for our trained killers in general to have a soft spot for charities?" Birch-Lock asked turning the file so Hermione could see the latest intel.

"I guess both." Hermione said not looking down yet. She was becoming a fan of number 3 and was trying to figure out a way to meet this operative without Birch-Lock knowing.

"Not unusual for this operative though they have never donated to this fund before. Last year they made a huge donation to the fund for memory restoration at St. Mungo's, that's usually where they donate to or fo the betterment of magical creatures." Birch-Lock said waiting for Hermione to address the latest folder.

"They don't always donate though?" Hermione asked trying to keep her interest on the down low.

"No, sometimes they ask for personal favours which trust me, I prefer the donations to the favours."

"What kind of favours?" Hermione asked very intrigued now. "Like to pass laws and things?"

"No, much more personal, altering records and information, that sort of thing."

"Is that even legal?" Hermione asked surprised that a fee like that would be approved.

"Nope but we do it because we want to keep that operative satisfied. Speaking of 3 they made it very clear that if you put their name forward for a job again it will be the last thing I ever do so do me a favour and don't put their name forward again for a jobs that end in death. I'd like to keep my life and my anatomy in place and in tact." Birch-Lock said with a small laugh but not too much so Hermione knew he was serious.

"Got you, no death missions for 3, just abductions and questioning then?" Hermione asked slightly disappointed that 3 sounded ready for retirement.

"Something like that, which means this next one might be right up 3's alley. The operative is more into torture anyway, seem to have a special talent for it." Birch-Lock said wondering if he did indeed get a sick pleasure from knowing that Hermione was sending her wife off to do these jobs without knowing.

* * *

Andy helped Bella sift through the silver liquid on the floor of the enchanted room. It was tiring diving into each memory to find which phial it belonged in.

"I know you were angry but I'm going to make the phials unbreakable so the next time you feel like your tantrum we can avoid cleaning up like this and spending hours diving into the pensieve." Andromeda said putting a stopper in the last phial and slipping it into the case.

Bella sat on the floor, her wand next to her on the floor as she rested her head against the wall. "Thank you." She said quietly, her head hurt from the onslaught of memories. Andromeda moved slowly across the floor and touched her head with the wand tip.

"Just be still." She said gently, the wand moving slowly around Bella's head working it's make to turn the active memories into shadows that wouldn't do as much damage. The process took a while, Bella's fingers played with her rings turning them over and over again.

"Andy." She said gently as Andromeda did not pause in her movements.

"Yes Dearest?" She said now pressing her thumbs against Bella's temples. The older closing her eyes against the gentle pressure of Andromeda's touches as she rubbed slowly against the pressure points and into Bella's black curls.

"If something ever happens to me promise me something." Bella said her eyes still closed.

"What?" Andy asked slowly the movements now and pulling to the back of Bella's head to rub her neck.

"Take care of Pet."

"Of course I would." Andy said surprised as if that even needed a request.

"No I mean-" Bella started to say but Andy paused for a moment and Bella opened her eyes to look in the mirror image of her sisters.

"I know what you mean Bella and of course I would."

Bella relaxed, she knew Andromeda would but she had to hear it. She would never have this conversation with Hermione but she knew that her lover would be safe and loved if something were to ever happen to her.

* * *

Harry came out of the fireplace around midnight very frantic. He held a sleeping Teddy in his arms and called for Andromeda and Bella. The witches stirred slightly and stumbled to the stairs. Seeing Harry standing with Teddy instantly woke the women.

"What is it, is Dora alright?" Andromeda asked pulling her curls back from her face. In the light she looked identical to Bella who was frowning and stepping forward to take Teddy from Harry's arms. It took Harry a moment as usual to stop staring at the sisters before he spoke.

"She said she needed you, both of you. It's time but she won't let me near her." Harry said unsure of what to do.

"It can't be time she's only what six months along." Andromeda said now tying back her hair and pulling her robe on the rest of the way.

"She said it's time." Harry repeated, Bella carried Teddy upstairs to Hermione to explain what was going on before coming back down less than two minutes later.

"Stay here for now." Andromeda said as she summoned her bag and wand. Taking Bella's hand they vanished in a flash of white. Hermione came down the stairs to find a stunned Harry in her sitting room unsure of going or staying.

Tonks was lying on the bed moaning in pain through clentched teeth. She nearly cried in relief when she saw Bella and her mother flash into the room.

"Kitten talk to me." Andromeda said putting the bag down and immediately checking over Dora and brushing back her hair. Harry had been right Dora was in labour, Bella moved back the blanket and gasped, the fluid had soaked the sheets telling them that the baby was coming early or not.

"It started all of a sudden, no warning." Tonks said writhing slightly in pain. "I just woke up like this and was soaked."

"Love we need to get her to St. Mungo's." Bella said looking in Andromeda's bag for the phials of blue liquid they had given Hermione when she was in labour with Maia.

"No." Tonks said through a contraction as Bella brought the potion to her lips. "I don't need St. Mungo's to have a baby."

Andromeda checked and shook her head, "Too late for St. Mungo's though we'll need to move them after."

The potion had not taken yet and Tonks screamed causing Bella's blood to go cold. Her memories threw her back to Carina, to her mother, to screaming on the bed with Cissy holding her hand as her baby came into the world dead.

"Mummy help me." Tonks hissed snapping Bella out of her thoughts and pushing her into action.

"Shhh love, it's alright." She said moving to Tonks' head and brushing back her hair. "I've got you."

Andromeda called for the house elf who stood ready having birthed three generations of Black chldren. The worked silently, the old elf given Andromeda what she needed before she even asked.

Bella continued holding Tonks, the younger witch nearly breaking her hand, the pain was too great for the potions to have any real dulling properties now.

"Does Mistress Andy need to cut her?" The elf asked pulling back Tonks' shirt.

"No- she'll do fine but we'll need a medi-transport when the baby arrives." The elf nodded and left the room with a crack only to return two minutes later to say that St. Mungo's was ready for their arrival.

"Just a few more Kitten, just a few more." Andromeda said helping Bella sit her up.

"No no mummy I can't." Tonks said gasping.

"You can love." Bella said pressing a kiss to her head, "Do it now."

Tonks' scream tore into the silence of the room followed by the tiny little mewing of the shockingly small infant.

"It's a boy." Andromeda said with a smile. "Go get Harry and tell him to meet us at St. Mungo's."

Tonks smiled at the tiny baby wet and bloody in Andromeda's arms before she fainted against Bella's neck.  
_


	19. Chapter 19

**This is the second to last chapter in the story folks. The next chapter will end with Beltane like the first story in the series did. Thank you all so much for the reviews, suggestions and messages for this series, it was a lot of fun to write.**

* * *

Bella returned to Hermione before daylight and smiled at the sleeping form of her wife in the bed curled up with Teddy. She decided to let them sleep before waking her to tell her that little James had entered the world tiny but safe. Now both of Dora's boys were named for their dead grandfathers, both killed by the dark forces Bella once pledged herself to. She frowned then and turned from the peaceful scene. She would not pay for those sins any longer it wasn't fair to crucify herself over and over again for crimes she had not committed.

Hermione joined her on the deck swing with a cup of tea as the sun rose. She handed Bella a cup and smiled as she cuddled under the blanket with her lover. "And what's the news?" She said enjoying the feel of Bella's arm around her waist on the swing.

"Beautiful tiny boy. Not a metamorph however which was a disappointment but' Bella shrugged slightly "They are rare." She concluded taking a sip of tea, Hermione watched Bella for a moment before venturing into the question.

"Are you sad Maia isn't?"

"Not in the least, she was never meant to be Pet, you're not one." She kissed the top of Hermione's head.

"But you are." She said somewhat confused.

"Mmmm I am to a degree." She stretched slowly, "If I had given birth to her she would most likely have been but-" Bella stopped and looked at Hermione for a moment, "I would rather you had our children than-" She swallowed for a moment and then sipped the tea again. "He's very beautiful though, he looks like Harry even the stand up hair all over his head." Bella chuckled, "When they cleaned him up he looked like a surprised little monkey."

"But he's ok, being tiny?" Hermione asked leaving the topic of future children alone.

"What? Oh yes, he just needs to take some potions and he'll be fine. Andromeda is going to stay with Dora and Harry for a bit. Harry has to go tour soon and Dora is going to need help."

Hermione nodded, she knew Andy had planned on leaving to stay with Tonks once the baby was born, none of them had expected it so soon.

"Come, lets get ready to go meet the newest Black." She said with a smile setting down the now empty cup of tea before holding out her hand to Hermione to go and get ready to venture to St. Mungo's. "I want you to meet him before the Weasels get there and try to stake a claim."

* * *

"Now don't get homicidal Black." Birch-Lock said to a smoking Bellatrix, a week later, who looked far from impressed to be sitting in his office once more after her message was so clearly presented the last go around. She tapped her nails on the table and waited to find out why she was summoned away from her wife on her day off.

"It's a simple persuasion Black, you don't even have to question him."

"So I persuade him to come and talk to you? This is a new one." Bella said reading the file over and frowning. "And we're not eliminating him why?" She said feeling uneasy looking at the record. "He actively supports the genocide of muggleborns."

"He is also a major organiser for the group, his contacts will lead us to finding the person or people behind this. We don't need anymore pure blood radicals trying to come up in the aftermath of Voldemort."

"And if I can't persuade him with my charming personality?" Bella said not taking another drag on the fag, she was simply letting it burn down.

"I am sure you have some creative ways of getting someone to comply with your wishes Black. Use your imagination." The message was clear, Bella did not return the smile, she simply stared down at the file reading over the information again.

"And when he comes in?"

"That's for myself and Hermione to interview him. She is an investigator after all." Birch-Lock said leaning back in the chair. "Look, you wanted to retire, you agreed to doing cases that don't require clean-ups, it's standard operating procedure to gradually end your involvement with us."

* * *

"She's mad!" The man said spitting saliva as he screamed. "She carved me up and all!" The blood on the man's arm was seeping through his shirt. "Fucking crazy bitch. She laughed and that when she did it. I ain't cooperating not with the way that mad bitch treated me. Broke my fingers." He thrust his fist up to Hermione's face showing the black and purple fingers. She felt slightly queasy when she saw the broken fingers, she was told she could not heal any of the injuries while he was being questioned.

"Look at me, look what she did!" He shouted again and ripped the top of his robe away. Hermione's eyes grew wide seeing the markings of at least two broken ribs and bruising where the tormentor had kicked him repeatedly. "I'm gonna be pissin' blood for week from that crazy bitch." The mark on his arm made Hermione leave the room for a moment to be sick. Still oozing with blood and black around the burned edges was a crude dark mark carved into the man's forearm. It was done with a cursed blade so that the mark would never fade. Hermione was sick again seeing her own mark.

The room spun, the late night disappearances, the anger, the room, the case. Birch-Lock knew, he knew and he put Bella's name forward. Bella knew that Hermione had sent her on the job, she had ordered her wife to kill, to torture. All this time she had somewhat admired operative 3 for what they had done to Ron's killer. She had just assumed that the operative was a man due to the violent nature of the deaths.

"Black, what the hell, get back in there." Birch-Lock said coming out of the adjoining room.

"Fuck you." Hermione hissed throwing the parchment at his feet. "Fuck you, you knew it was Bellatrix. You had me send my own wife to do those things. Why? Why would you do that?"

"Would you calm down Black?"

"Where is she now?" Hermione said looking past him into the room he had just left.

"I suspect she is at home, she debriefed an hour ago." Birch-Lock said trying to maintain a steady and calm voice but it was only serving to infuriate Hermione more.

"Yeah cause it's just all business isn't it, they are just names on the files aren't they?" she said shaking now. "She just debriefs and then comes home to have a- what a normal life? Is that what they all do?"

"Black, let me get you something to drink."

"Fuck you Birch." Hermione said grabbing her cloak and walking to the fireplace. She was gone in a flash of green flames.

* * *

Bella was talking to Andy at the table when Hermione came out of the fireplace, her wand in her hand. The spell left her wand and Bella was up and away before it landed leaving a huge hole in the table. The cups shattered scattering tea and glass around the room.

"What the-" Bella deflected the next spell and held it for a moment sending it back towards the caster. Hermione dodged it easily.

Hermione sent another spell at Bella who sent it going the other way crashing into the mantle piece shattering a picture. She could tell that Hermione was not playing the usual dueling game, her usual warm brown eyes were glaring with hatred as she looked at the pair of women.

"You did this." Hermione hissed. "You did this with your favours from Birch you moved me there!" She shouted now, her chest heaving.

"It's alright Pet if it makes you feel better." Bella said in the same calm voice that Birch-Lock had used that infuriated her so.

Hermione screamed and shot a volley of hexes at Bella who threw them aside easily. The living room was now exploding in light and deflected spells. Bella wasn't smiling, Andromeda's kept her wand trained on Hermione but did not try to restrain her.

"You killed them. You killed all those people." She fired another spell, this one shook Bella's shield. "So many people Bella."

"Easy Pet I don't want to hurt you." Bella stepped forward, her shield still out deflecting the next spell. She had not cast anything at Hermione, she was more worried about a stray spell from Hermione's anger hitting herself or Andromeda.

"You killed them." She said, anger still flooding through her. "Every one of them and you didn't care!" She sent a Crucio spell which hit the mark and knocked Bella to her knees for a moment she didn't scream like Hermione expected. The windows shook as Bella pushed back against the curse, the windows in the dining room shattered as Bella stood, her hands throwing the curse off and away from herself. Cuts ran over Bella's face, her eyes dark as she advanced on Hermione pressing the advantage

"Enough Hermione!" Andromeda called making a slashing motion with her wand cutting into Hermione's shoulder. "Play fair."

"I'm fine Love." Bella assured her, her shield still up staring at Hermione. "You have to mean it Pet or it just tickles." Bella snarled coming nearer.

Andy hissed glaring at Hermione, "No." before slashing her wand down again cutting across Hermione's cheek.

Hermione tried to cast it again and again Andromeda slashed her, "No." her voice more forceful. The spell hit the floor leaving a large gash in the tiles. Hermione raised her wand again only to feel the piercing heat from Andromeda's spell tear into her wand arm, blood dripped to the floor and Andy held the spell there without lifting it. Her eyes as black as Bella's, her face the exact copy of Bella's calm look, she met Hermione's gaze daring her to move.

"Had enough?" Bella asked not even out of breath to Hermione's obvious exhaustion.

"You killed them! You tortured them!" Hermione shouted wrenching her arm free of Andy's spell and pushing Bella back with her shield. Her arm felt as if it were on fire, Andromeda glared at her, her own shield up, a blue hex sat waiting on her wand tip.

"So did you Pet." She answered gently and looked around the room. "Did hitting me with Crucio make you feel better? You can keep hitting me with your hexes if it helps."

She stood for a moment looking helpless. Her wand fell with a clatter to the floor covered in blood.

"Oh Pet." Bella whispered dropping her wand and pulling Hermione into her arms.

Andromeda lowered her wand and leaned into the counter, her face buried in her hands, for a moment the only sounds in the kitchen was Hermione's desperate breathes to try and keep her emotions under control.

"You killed him and you- you tortured that man and I-" Hermione broke slightly, "And I ordered you to do it." Hermione sank to her knees, she couldn't move away, she couldn't push away what she'd done. Her orders, her insisting that number 3 be the person to do it. Her obsession with the operative. It had been Bella, all this time she had been ordering her wife to do the very thing she never wanted her to do again. What had she done?

* * *

Bella took a breath and handed Hermione the phial with the silver liquid, it was the one containing the memory of Bella killing Ron's murderer. She did not enter the memory with Hermione, she rather stayed out of it leaning against the wall watching. Hermione looked at the memory several times, her eyes taking in first Bella's actions and then the man's death. She watched how long Bella watched him, the look on her face when she killed him. When she apologised to him as he took his last breath, when she whispered she had to protect her family. Hermione swallowed and fought back tears, Bella had done it to protect them, what if he had come after Hermione or Maia or any of them?

She exited the memory and found Bella staring into space not meeting her eyes. Hermione slipped her arms around Bella's waist bringing her out of her silent reflection. "You protected us. All of us. Again." She said gently to Bella's slow nod. "I didn't know it was you baby." She said holding Bella tighter, "I would have never-" Bella rested her chin on Hermione's head and closed her eyes. Hermione fell quiet joining Bella in the silence.

* * *

They sat on the rocks, the weather had turned into an April storm causing the waves to crash loudly around them. Hermione held Bella tightly, her cloak around them and a charm to keep the spray from hitting them left them in a serene little bubble to enjoy the waves. "Why did you have Birch move me there?" Hermione asked when she understood more about the nature of the favours.

"Because you're good and you're fair. I figured when you looked at the cases you would only order a clean up when you knew it had to be done. Sometimes, in the past, I think people just ordered them. I knew you would fair, besides, it was the only way." Bella said playing with the ring on Hermione's thumb.

"The only way for what?" She asked enjoying the innocence of Bella's touches to her hand.

"To keep you safe. Birch said it would keep you out of the field so-" Bella sighed and paused in her movements, "So I was selfish and told him to do it so you'd be safe."

"And the records you altered?" Hermione's chest ached thinking she knew the answer already.

"Lists Dora as my daughter." Bella said quietly, "She doesn't know that I've done that. Andromeda knows. Ted is her father but-" Bella swallowed staring out at the waves, "It reinstates her in the Black family. He altered the records to show she is mine in case it ever comes up, when- well when I die. She- she has an equal share with Maia and well any other children we have. I figure all the Lestrange gold should do some good in the world."


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: The silver tattoo is not the same as the golden one on Bella and Hermione. Thank you all for the being along for this ride, for all the encouragement, messages and reviews. Hope you enjoyed the story.**

* * *

Hermione curled up into Bella's arms, their view of the statue was undisturbed by the other couples who were also in attendance for the Beltane festivities. The entire day had been spent eating, drinking and dancing with more than a hundred other couples who had converged to the sacred site. The sound of the drumming moved through Hermione like it had on her first night with Bella when they were bonded. Hermione had seen several couples she knew from Hogwarts in attendance and greeted them happily enough, they were all a bit curious about Bella but smiled and overcame their fear when introduced. Dean Thomas had been the friendliest talking at length with Bella about his job with international law enforcement. She had been fascinated by his work and Hermione had to pull her away after about an hour to come dance. She and Dean promised to stay in touch and meet for tea the following week. Hermione laughed against Bella's neck as they danced and commented that she loved Bella was making new friends.

As the evening wore on Hermione found herself kissing Bella longer and deeper than she had earlier in the day. Bella smiled into the deepest of the kisses and broke it off whispering against Hermione's mouth that there was more to come. Hermione flushed looking at the other couples seemingly under the same spell she was with their lovers. She kissed Bella again as she pressed her body closer as the older witch led them to a quieter part of the grounds. "Come Pet." She whispered pulling Hermione onto the blanket before laying over her kissing her in return.

Hermione looked around at the other couples and triads around them and flushed crimson. "Bella- there- but there's people."

Bella looked around and laughed gently, "Oh my sweet girl of course there is, this is Beltane. Nobody is watching us." She said kissing along Hermione's neck. "Besides, a lot of people move around to other groups throughout the night."

"But-" Hermione said with a shiver, "I-no I-"

Bella stopped kissing her and sat up looking at her young wife. "Shall we go back home? We can have just as much fun there." She said in a gentle whisper before brushing her fingers over Hermione's lips. Hermione looked down at the blanket and then up at the statue, Bella stroked her hair slowly. "I can ward around us and nobody will see us Pet." She said taking out her wand and slowly putting up wards around their small area. The other couples became hazy, almost invisible to Hermione and the sounds except the drumming were filtered out. The statue stayed clear in front of them. "Better?" Hermione nodded and crashed her lips into Bella's, their tattoos glowing in the moonlight.

Bella nudged her legs apart gently, her mouth closing gently against her neck. Hermione's fingers pulled at the the ties on Bella's cloak pulling it away and pushing it to the side. Bella sighed happily and breathed in Hermione's scent, the gentle little whimpers made Bella's heart hammer into her chest and then she stopped with a deep breath. "This- this isn't right Pet." She said looking around at where they were.

"No it's ok now." Hermione said and Bella shook her head again.

"No my love, you're too precious to me." Bella fastened her cloak and smiled at Hermione to reassure her. "Come, let me do this properly yes?"

Hermione nodded unsure of what Bella meant, the two women rose and walked away from the couples who had started their enjoyment a little early. "I'm glad I brought you here but-" She looked around with a slight frown, "I think we'll come another time when it's not so-crowded." She laughed as they saw a couple who left nothing to the imagination. "Sometimes things are better in the thought than the execution." She explained as they caught the street car back to their hotel.

* * *

They saw Andromeda coming out of the room when they arrived back. "What- back so soon I was just coming down there."

"It's madness, nothing nice about it." Bella said taking off her cloak, Andromeda frowned and looked at Hermione.

"What did you think Angel?" Andy asked not removing her cloak.

"It's- it's a lot to take in. I loved this afternoon." Hermione said thinking back to earlier when they had all been dancing and drinking together. She and Andromeda had shared a fair few kisses and dances in the afternoon before Andromeda ducked out to go check on Tonks and baby James.

"And now?"

Hermione squirmed a little and flushed, Andromeda glanced at Bella and then touched Hermione's cheek. "Still such an innocent little witch." She said pressing a soft kiss to Hermione's lips before stowing her wand and opening the door. "Have fun tonight. See you tomorrow."

Bella nodded as Andromeda headed out of the door, Hermione looked surprised and then shocked. "She's- she's still going?" The hurt evident in Hermione's voice. She had hardly seen Andromeda since James' birth. She had thought it would be a wonderful holiday with just the three of them for the next few days.

"Looks like it." Bella said letting her hair out of the braids she had put in it earlier.

"But we're not there."

Bella tilted her head and looked at Hermione's in the mirror. "Well no but I think she is aware of that."

"But-" Hermione shook her head, it wasn't right. "She's ours. The three of us, we're-" She didn't finish the statement before Bella disappeared with a loud crack. "together."

* * *

Bella caught up to her as she was leaving the lobby. "Andromeda." She said seeing her sister turn slightly and hesitating. She didn't want to miss the street car.

"Is everything alright?" She said fiddling with her hair for a moment then her robe.

"Come back to the room with us. We'll go to a quieter celebration in Ireland. This is madness. It's too much of a tourist thing now. It's not like when we were young."

"What does Hermione say?" Andromeda asked her fingers were around her wand as she took it out twirling it in her fingers.

"She was hurt you left."

Andromeda looked surprised and a little guilty by this and leaned against the wall near the hotel exit. "I would have thought she would just want you tonight."

"Why would think that she would only want me? You've- you've been in our bed for months Love." Bella said in a gentle voice, Andromeda was hard on herself at times often refusing to stay in the bed with them after a tryst and going back to sleep alone.

"You're a couple Bella not a triad, besides what if I meet someone, no it's better like this."

Bella's eyes darkened, "You promised me that you would care for Hermione and Maia."

Andromeda watched the street car pull away and sighed, it would be another twenty minutes before the next one arrived. "I did."

"It wasn't about checking in on them from time to time Andromeda. I mean for you to bond to Hermione if something were to happen to me. To bond with her as you and I are bonded Andy." Her voice softened. "Tonight is about couples and lovers. I was your first Andromeda. We are bonded in that or have you forgotten?" Andromeda shifted under Bella's intense gaze, the silver tattoo on her wrist matched Bella's. While they had not been bonded as Hermione and Bella, there was a bond from their Beltane night. Bella had won the right to be Andromeda's stag that long ago night unbeknown to their parents, she had morphed and joined the hunt. She had refused to think of Andromeda in the arms of another. "As on that night and now, I cannot allow you to be with another." She leaned into Andromeda and pressed a gentle kiss.

* * *

Hermione had taken a shower while Andromeda and Bella spoke in the lobby and shared a quick drink in the bar. She was curled up on the bed reading the paper when the door opened, she smiled at Bella and held her breath slightly until Andromeda entered the room. She threw the paper down and rushed into Andromeda's arms, her mouth closed over Andromeda's in a passionate kiss that deepened slightly as Andromeda tangled her fingers into Hermione's hair. "I thought you left." Hermione breathed into the kiss before pressed to kiss her again. "I thought you left us on Beltane and didn't want us." She buried her face in Andromeda's neck, the sisters smiled at each other and Andromeda pulled her tighter into the embrace.

"I always want you Angel." She whispered before kissing Hermione again, Bella left the room to go shower and leave the lovers to kiss and make up.

"Don't leave again. Please." Hermione's voice was soft in her plea, "I've missed you so." She said unfastening Andromeda's cloak. She had only visited a handful of times when Hermione was home since James' birth the month before. "Please stay the holiday with us here." Andromeda felt herself nodding, her dark eyes drinking in the sight of the young witch before her.

* * *

"Tell Andy what you want." Bella whispered in Hermione's ear, the youngest of the trio was flushed and writhing beneath Andromeda's touches. Bella could see it in Hermione's thoughts, what she wanted, how she wanted it.

"I can't do what you want Angel if you don't tell me." Andromeda teased, her voice low with desire, it was Hermione's turn in their love making to be teased mercilessly. The drumming pounded around them, the people had faded completely from view. Andromeda and Bella had convinced Hermione to try a different spot for Beltane and it had proven a success. It was an older spot, the magic pulsated in the air with the drumming, the fires roaring a variety of colours into the night. Hermione couldn't speak and shook her head, "Mmm still so innocent even now." Andromeda laughed before kissing Bella, her fingers circled Hermione's entrance, she could feel how badly Hermione wanted her.

Bella whispered in Andromeda's ear, she pulled back from Bella's whisper with a raised eyebrow. Bella nodded with a smirk and then she pressed a kiss to her tortured wife on the ground. "It's alright Pet." She whispered, "Your Bella took care of it sweet girl." She said as Hermione whimpered. She cast a spell on Andromeda surrounding the trio in a silver light for a moment before Andromeda watched the runes appear across Hermione's body. The previous spells from Bella visible all over her skin, she thought she had never seen something so beautiful. The silver danced on Hermione's skin as the tattoos on Andromeda and Bella's wrists glowed.

Andromeda felt herself falling into the swirl of colour that was Hermione's thoughts. She saw her there, the colours dancing off her skin, Hermione's whispers echoed in her mind. Bella had learned very early on that Hermione was much too shy, at times, to voice her needs and seeing her desires was much easier. Andromeda was lost in the images that raced through Hermione's thoughts. She found what she wanted, just there beneath the first layers of Hermione's desire. She pressed a slow kiss and heard Hermione cry out as she entered her gently.

The silver light that glowed from the runes on Hermione's skin moved along her body to settle against her wrist at the base of the golden goddess tattoo she shared with Bella. At the moment Andromeda pressed into her the light began to form a faint silver design against her wrist. She could hear Hermione's moans as she pressed again, the colours pressed into Andromeda's mind until it became a blur that exploded around them. Hermione's cries came so suddenly it pulled Andromeda from her lovers' thoughts and back to the night around them. The full moon directly above them as the drumming pounded through their bodies, the silver light on Hermione's wrist faded leaving the tattoo against her skin.

* * *

Andromeda collapsed against Bella's trembling body. The oldest witch's eyes glistened with tears. The liquid looked like diamonds in the moonlight of the goddess. Hermione watched her lover undone beneath her as she drove into her once more. The spell that was meant to cause Bella to be the prey had encased all three of them to feel everything Bella was experiencing. Andromeda continued to tremble with Bella as Hermione, her breath heavy with lust drove into her again. Bella was past speaking, Andromeda's mouth was trying to press against every inch of exposed skin.

Hermione's fingers dug into Bella's hips to pull her closer, Andromeda cried out as her nails dug into Hermione's arms. Little dots of blood appeared on Hermione's arms from Andromeda who trembled again feeling Bella fall over the edge into oblivion. They had never performed the spell before and it was to the least complete sensory overload. Hermione felt Bella trying to stop her and she laughed. "Be good Bella, it's your turn." She cooed at Bella's whimpers. She was close, so close, Hermione could see her standing on the edge, the darkness just a breath away. Once more, just one. more. touch.

Bella cried out, her hands yanking into Andromeda's hair as she lost herself to the darkness. Her eyes open and staring, her chest heaving as Hermione panted from her own release. Licking her lips she caught her own breath looking at how beautiful her wife was below her, the way her eyes looked at nothing, unseeing the world around her as she shivered again. The tears falling down to be lost in her dark curls, the spasms in her chest as more tears came. Hermione moved off her gently, Andromeda shook as she wrapped her arms around Bella. Hermione rested her hand between Bella's legs as she kissed the falling tears. It felt like an eternity before Bella's eyes focused on her lovers, her hands moving slowly to touch both. Her lovers reflected her tears feeling every emotion that had pulled through Bella's body, the spell left them breathless unable to speak. They lay wrapped around one another as the night wore on and the sun began to rise. When dawn broke the drumming ceased and the lovers fell asleep.


End file.
